Eternal Sentai Guardranger
by FreedomBlack
Summary: When signs of an ancient empire's revival threaten the Earth, a new Super Sentai emerges to oppose them! Eternal Sentai Guardranger!
1. Episode 1:The Evil Returns! Rebirth of t...

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Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 1:The Evil Returns! Rebirth of the Eternal Sentai!

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

There was something there, no doubt about it. A large something. And it was _moving_. That was what the tremors over the last week had been.

Naoko Hirano rose from the table of seismological instruments and walked down the hall. This was major, but what could it possibly be? Something the size of the Tokyo Dome buried a hundred feet underground and shaking…scary, but it had to be reported.

She said hello to a few of her coworkers on the way to Dr. Amasada's office, but did nothing to delay her trip there. She finally arrived outside his door, and let herself in.

"Naoko, how are you?" he said, looking up from a pile of paper work on the desk in front of him. He was an elderly man, with graying hair and beard, but one of the nicest guys Naoko had ever met. He'd understand why she hadn't knocked in a minute.

"Sir, those tremors we've been charting over the last few days…I believe I've found the epicenter. And the source," she said.

"The _source_?" he said, "Just tectonic activity, I'm sure."  
"It's not, sir. I believe it's coming from a large, buried object. The emanations are coming from an area that couldn't possibly be the source of natural tectonic activity."

He arched an eyebrow at her. Naoko didn't blame him. Four years of working there and she'd never come to him with a crazy story like this. But it was true. Dr. Amasada looked at her for a long moment.

"Well then, if this is the cause of all those tremors, then you'd better get a team together and go have a look around the area, hadn't you?" he said, as if the answer he was giving was common sense.

"Thank you, sir," she said with a slight bow, and turned and left his office. A shadowy figure turned and scurried away as she did.

Naoko leaned back in her reclining chair and sighed. She was a bit tired, but it was a good kind of tired; the kind that came from being involved in a profession that satisfied you. It would take a while for the team she assembled to get organized, so she decided to take a few minutes to herself to unwind and collect her thoughts. Her mind kept coming back to her findings. There was absolutely nothing natural about the object her studies had uncovered, but she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what it was. And the fact that it was_ moving_? That's what disturbed her the most.

At first she attributed it to natural seismic activity caused by simple tectonic plate shifting beneath the planet's surface. But when the volume of the tremors increased dramatically in the space of only a few hours, she'd begun to fear that the cause was more severe--an earthquake or even worse, a volcanic eruption; Japan still had quite a few active volcanoes around even now in the present day. But it wasn't until recently that Naoko's studies had determined that the tremors were confined to a single area, and that there was an object embedded in the earth that was causing the disturbance.

Naoko narrowed her eyes behind her eyeglasses at the thought. What could have been buried out there in the middle of nowhere? And why? What was the purpose of it? Had it ended up underground through a natural phenomenon? Or had something buried it there? A ton of questions with no answers--she_ hated_ that. Although somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew logic probably had nothing to do with any of it. And it wasn't as if there was anyone she could ask about this…

Or was there?

Naoko looked over at the right-hand drawer of her desk, staring for a minute, as if she were debating whether or not to open it. She wasn't entirely sure the situation warranted this kind of attention. But she also had no way of knowing if it didn't either. Whatever was happening could just be the precursor to something much worse. And if it this was anything close to the danger she had been informed about, then she had to make its presence known to the one who had told her about it in the first place.

"I can't take any chances," she said more to herself than anyone else. "Not with this." She reached for the drawer and pulled it open partway. A soft yellow light beamed out of the drawer, spilling gold against her fingers as she reached in deeper.

"Naoko-chan?"

Naoko jerked her head upright and stiffened as if lightning had struck the back of her chair. She quickly pulled her hand out of the desk drawer and shoved it closed, her eyes raking to the left in response to the invited guest in her office.

Standing in the doorway dressed in an black Armani suit, and wearing a careful, easy-going grin on his face--a little_ too_ easy-going for her taste--was a young Japanese guy of twenty-three with short black hair and dark brown eyes. He stood at least six feet tall with a strong, gym-chiseled build and broad shoulders, obvious even under the loose fit of the suit.

"Oh, it's you," Naoko's tone was as dry as sandpaper.

The guy in the doorway winced a little. _Oh, boy._ _She's still steamed…not good. _Well, at least he was still standing. He half expected to get a shot to the head or something as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Where's that pretty young thing you were wearing around your neck last night, Takeo?" she pushed on. "You don't looked dressed without her." 

"Awwww, c'mon, Naoko-chan," the guy's voice took on an apologetic tone as he stepped the rest of the way inside of the office. "You still mad at me? I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

"Several times, but I'd pretty much stopped counting after I poured that pitcher of ice water over your head on the way out of the bar." Naoko turned away and started shuffling though a box on her desk full of computer disks. "I hope you've got a reason to be in my office, other than to feed me a line, Yashamura-san. I've got my hands full here."

_Yashamura-san...last night it was Takeo. Oh boy…I better make this good. _Takeo took a cautious step toward Naoko's desk, and cleared his throat before speaking again. "I came to apologize, Naoko. Really, I'm so sorry about last night…it wasn't how it looked, really." Takeo came closer to the desk, putting a hand on the back of Naoko's chair, swiveling it a bit so he could look her in the eyes. He knelt down in front of her, reached for her hand, and pressed it flat against his chest. Naoko felt a sudden shiver run up her back at the sudden warmth of his body heat soaking through his shirt and against her fingers.

"Gomen, Naoko-chan," Takeo said softly. "I'm sorry. Forgive me? Onegai?"

Naoko looked into Takeo's eyes, the dark-brown depths she'd come to know so well over the past few months looking back at her hopefully like a puppy who wanted his ears scratched. She was right about him being too charming for his own good, though. Her anger was starting to recede a little and the poor guy really_ did_ sound sincere. Then he brought his arm out from behind his back, producing a bouquet of flowers wrapped in prismatic-colored paper. "I got these for you. I know they're your favorite." He smiled again as he handed them to her._ White roses_, she thought._ Damn…_

So much for holding a grudge.

Naoko sighed, a martyr to ecstasy. She wasn't really angry with him anymore, but she wasn't ready to let him off the hook just yet. "Who was she, Takeo?"

"My ex. She's been dogging me ever since we broke up and I started seeing you. I was trying to get rid of her last night, and she planted that kiss on me when she knew you'd be looking. I swear, Naoko, I didn't know she was gonna take it that far." Takeo gave her another pleading expression, squeezing Naoko's hand that was still flat against his chest.

Naoko looked into Takeo's eyes again, the last of her resentment evaporating. "Takeo…I…"

Naoko never got to complete the sentence before the electronic ring of her telephone broke the mood in the office. She reached to the right, being careful not to dislodge the flowers in her lap, and grabbed the receiver. And although she didn't see the brutally disappointed look on Takeo's face, the softly muttered Japanese expletives that came out of his mouth were a lot harder to miss.

"Hirano Naoko," she said formally.

"Hirano-san? The team's assembled outside. We're ready to go when you are."

"Oh…arigato. I'll be there in a minute. Ja ne."

"Trouble?" Takeo asked.

Naoko shook her head "No, nothing like that. I've got a potential crisis I need to take head off," She stood up, placing the flowers on her desk and grabbed her laptop, along with a few of her files that were resting on the filing cabinet next to her desk.

"Is this what you were telling me about last night? That…whatever the heck it is buried out in the middle of nowhere?" Takeo stood up too, watching Naoko gather her things together.

"I'm afraid so," she sighed. Naoko turned to look at him. "Takeo, gomen. I really do want to finish this, but I have to leave. The team's waiting for me."

"Hey, no problem, I'll go with you. We can talk on the way. Who knows? Maybe I can help you guys out or something."

Naoko blinked. "Takeo, it's all right. You don't--"

He put a finger to her lips, shaking his head. "It's okay. I want to."

Naoko smiled finally, her anger forgotten. "All right. Listen, I have to finish up in here. Wait for me outside?"

The grin was back on Takeo's face full-force now. "You got it." He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Don't take too long, huh babe?"

"I won't," she promised. "And the flowers…? Arigato. They're lovely."

Takeo's grin grew wider. "No problem," he smiled, and walked out the door.

Naoko slipped her laptop into her shoulder bag, along with the rest of her notes. She was about to head for the door when her eyes fell back on her desk drawer, the one she'd been reaching into earlier before Takeo came in. She was half-tempted not to even open it again. But somehow, she felt she had to. She took a careful glance around her, then pulled the drawer all the way open. As she did, a wave of yellow light poured out of the drawer, bathing the room in its glow for a minute before receding and simply glowed quietly inside its resting place.

Naoko reached inside and lifted the object out. She stared at it for a minute, then sighed. "I hope I don't end up needing to use you."

She dropped it into a small compartment inside her bag, hefted it over one shoulder, and headed out the door.

Miles and miles away, Ryuji Sakamoto unlocked the doors to his restaurant just as the store owners were wheeling out racks of clothes, books and other pricey goods to begin the business day. The sun was barely up but already they were skittering around like ants making sure everything would be ready by the time the first customers walked out of the house, still blinking the sleep from their eyes.

Ryuji shook his head with a smile, and walked inside the restaurant. He vaulted over the counter, walked to the back and flipped a switch, and the Golden Bushel came to life.

It was a nice little place, and did surprisingly good business for being so new. A few businessmen came in and bought drinks heavy with caffeine to open their eyes on the way to work, and Ryuji could tell it was going to be another fairly typical day. Or was it?

There was a strange feeling in the air that Mr. Sakamoto was at a loss to describe. Some kind of electricity in the air, like some unseen force was trying to warn him about something. Sounded ludicrous when he thought about it, of course. Ryuji was a practical man, despite his twenty-three years of age, and didn't believe in horoscopes, chain letters or warnings from the Great Beyond.

Later he'd look back on those beliefs and laugh himself sick.

Ryuji barely looked up as he heard the door open, "What'll it be, friend?"

""What'll it be, friend'? Dude, we don't see each other for years at a stretch, and _that's_ all the welcome I get? Kinda formal in the way of a greeting there. Especially for your best friend."

Ryuji's dark brown eyes jerked upward at the person standing in his doorway. "Jason?"

Jason Marger stood half-in, half-out of the doorframe, a battered blue duffel bag hoisted over one shoulder. His jet-black hair cut short , his vibrant blue eyes twinkling with amusement. His clothes, Ryuji noted, were still typical of his best friend's tastes: dark brown bomber jacket thrown over a white muscle shirt, rumpled blue jeans, and the white basketball sneakers with blue trim on the sides Ryuji had sent him for his birthday six months earlier.

"Ohayo, tomodatchi," the American said, giving a formal bow.

Ryuji quirked an eyebrow, smirking . "S'up, dude?" he drawled in his best imitation of a California surfer-boy. It was a private joke they had going between them for years now. Jason strode over to the counter, grinning. As he did, Ryuji reached, wrapping his best friend in a bear hug. He pulled back slightly and ran a hand through Jason's hair affectionately. "Finally got your hair cut, I see. So what're you doing here, man?"

Jason grinned as they let go of each other. "Checkin' up on my best bud…and lookin' for something to do until surfing season starts up again. How you been, man?"

"Getting by," Ryuji grinned back. "How'd you find me here? I hadn't opened the Golden Bushel last time I saw you."

"The old lady who lives in the apartment next to yours referred me. Kept talking in glowing terms about the nice young man who lives next door and cooks dinner for her three nights a week."

"Yeah, must be my kind streak" Ryuji drawled with a non-committal shrug, looking down at the counter and trying to scrub out a persistent stain.

"Yeah, right," Jason joked, playfully punching his shoulder. "But seriously, you've been doing pretty well for yourself since the last I saw you, man. When was that? Six years ago? Seven?"

"Four." 

Jason looked abashed. "Dang, I need to stay away from that California booze if it means I lose track of time like that. "Besides, I like the women around here better," Jason sighed, a wolfish smile forming.

"Yeah, I can't imagine there's a lot of call for pro surfers around here right now," Ryuji mused to his friend, "Dude, you really just dropping by for a social call? Not that I'm not glad to see you or anything--I just got my hands full right now." He jerked a thumb behind him at the sizeable crowd that had formed in the back of the room.

"Well, I got…other reasons for comin' back, man," Jason replied, choosing his words carefully.

"Well, whatever they are, it's good to see you back, Jase. I missed you." Ryuji smiled, firmly shaking Jason's hand. "Hey, come by my place later, huh? You can stay over 'til you get a place of your own, and we'll catch up on stuff." He turned to deal with a young couple who'd just entered the restaurant.

_You might be finding 'em out sooner than you think, old buddy,_ Jason thought, casually taking a sip of water as he got up and left.

Jason shifted his sunglasses over his eyes as the glare of the early morning sun bared down on him. He was a little disappointed that he hadn't had an opportunity to talk to Ryuji at length right away. While his reasons for seeking out his long-time buddy were serious ones indeed, it was only part of the reason he'd come back to Japan. The rest of his reasoning was the simple fact that he hadn't liked losing touch with Ryuji the way he had. Four years was too long a time to go without seeing his best friend, and although he hadn't made an emotional scene back in the Golden Bushel, it felt really good to see Ryuji again after so long.

If there was one thing Jason valued in his life, it was friendship. And Ryuji had been the best friend he'd ever had. If there hadn't been a such a growing crowd back there in the restaurant, he would've dropped his duffle right then and there, and given Ryuji a big bear-hug. The feeling of home he now felt brought a big, goofy grin to Jason's face as he continued down the streets of Ueno, the streets already teeming with activity. People in business suits hauling purses and bulky briefcases bustled across the busy intersections, some of them chattering into cell phones, others flagging down buses or taxis. Teenage kids in uniforms chasing after each other on their way to school. 

A string of giggles jerked Jason's attention to the left where about half a dozen teenage girls were clustered a few yards down the sidewalk from where he stood, whispering among themselves and pointing fingers toward him. They were dressed in school uniforms with really short skirts in different colors, and Jason found himself staring at a couple of them unconsciously, but the mirrored lenses of his sunglasses hid his eyes from theirs. Most of them had shoulder-length black hair, but a couple had their long brown hair tied at the back with silk ribbons. The last of the girls was about five-foot six with long black hair that reached down to her waist. She was pretty cute, Jason had to admit, but way too young. They all were for that matter. He could practically hear Ryuji's voice in his head making cradle-robbing jokes at his expense if he'd been here to see him scoping out a flock of teenage schoolgirls.

After a few seconds, Jason lifted his sunglasses off his eyes, and flashed the group a friendly smile, eliciting another round of giggling and a few red faces in the process. The black-haired girl in the back, however, remained strangely unaffected by the whole scene; she was watching him curiously, but not with the same infatuation the other girls seemed to have. Now that Jason thought about it, there was something about her that he couldn't quite pin down, but seemed familiar all the same. Who was she anyway?

_Jason…Jason, we must speak…now._

The mental call snapped Jason out of his daze instantly._ Geez! Hello, I'm out in public here!_ his thoughts answered back._ Gimme a sec, okay?_ He quickly turned back to the girls, who were still blushing and tittering with laughter among themselves, and called over to them, "Sorry, girls! As much as I'm lovin' this, I gotta go! Seeya!" He turned around abruptly, and pounded down the sidewalk, flashing a bright grin over his shoulder as he darted to the left, disappearing into a nearby park. 

The girls started chattering away again as they started walking down the sidewalk in the opposite direction, still talking about the mystery guy, commenting on how cute he was, especially for an American. But the black-haired girl stood staring at the spot on the sidewalk the guy had just vacated. She wasn't sure, but she had the feeling she knew him. Or more accurately,_ should_ know him. And it was obvious from the way he looked back at her that he was thinking along the same lines. She was even entertaining the idea of following him into the park when one of the other girls called her name from behind, telling her to hurry up or they'd be late for class.

__

She turned around reluctantly and moved to catch up with the other girls, a sudden rush of wind blowing up out of nowhere, following obediently in her wake. 

This was a mystery that wasn't going to be solved anytime soon, that was for sure.

Jason dropped his duffle bag to the grass and looked around to see if the coast was clear. He'd found a thick copse of trees near the park's outer perimeter where he was sure no one could see or hear him, but he couldn't help be cautious anyway. Finally satisfied he was alone, Jason settled cross-legged into the grass, his back against a tree behind him, his duffle bag in his lap. He unzipped the side of his bag, a sudden flow of bright blue light spilling out of the pocket. He reached inside, pulling the source of the radiance out and balancing it in his hand.

"Okay," he said, "I'm here."

_Have you spoken with him?_

Jason rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well…no…not yet. But I'm gonna. He was kinda busy so I couldn't really bring the subject up."

The mental voice sighed softly, but not with impatience or annoyance, but with deep-rooted concern. _He must be told, Jason._

"Yeah, I know, but--" Jason fumbled for words. "I just don't know how I'm gonna do it. He's my best friend…how can I ask him to just give up everything he spent his whole life trying to get off the ground? How do I break something like that to him?"

_You are in a most uncomfortable position, yes. But you realize I cannot, and will not force him to take this path. It must be his own choice or not at all. But if he is even a fraction of the man you claim him to be--_

"He is," Jason said with conviction. "Even if he wasn't my best friend, I'd say he was. I know he can do this…I just don't know if he'd want to."

_He is the one. Of that I have no doubt. The ability and the inner power are inherent traits. But regardless of whatever he decides, he must be told of the severity of the situation. Our enemies will not distinguish between the ones involved and the ones who are not. All will be affected. But his personal choices will have far greater impact than even he realizes._

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I know. I don't wanna make this any harder on him." Jason pushed a hand through his hair and sighed. "Okay. I'm staying over at his place tonight, so I'll do it then." He sighed. "I still don't know how I'm gonna, though."

_I have every confidence that you shall, Jason. But this is a difficult scenario I have placed you in, and for that, I am sorry, _the voice said._ If it will convince him, then bring him to Tokyo Tower tomorrow morning, and I will speak to him myself. It is something of a risk, but one that, if need be, I will take. _

Jason sighed again. "Okay."

The voice seemed to be smiling as it spoke again._ Do not fear. All shall come right in its time…Waterguard. _The blue light in his hand dimmed, and then winked out of sight completely.

Jason let out a noisy exhale as he put the object back into his duffel, and slumped into the warmth of the grass under his body. Crossing his arms under his head, he stretched out onto his back, staring up at the nearly cloudless sky overhead.

The voice that had spoken to Jason was all too right. The enemy was already there, and innocents and enemies alike were looked upon as acceptable prey.

The next day, the papers and the TV news would say the young woman and her lover were killed by some local thugs, and had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The world at large would soon know better.

Gruesome business, really. The two had been mutilated by their attackers almost beyond recognition. Forensics showed that their injuries had been dealt by strange, outdated weapons, like sickles and _katana_ swords. Surely there were no ninjas prowling the streets of Tokyo at night, looking to practice their trade on anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Even more strange was the discovery of shavings of some odd kind of metal at the scene of the terrible killing, a kind of metal that all the scientists who examined it were at a loss to identify. It was as if some kind of unspeakable horror simply descended from the sky, killed these poor people and then disappeared back into the darkness.

It was something that would not seem so strange for long.

The mountains of Hokkaido, battered and weather by both time and nature towered mightily and imposing, resembling silent, eternal sentinels. The snow-capped peaks jutted upwards toward the skies like the lethal tips of an endless arsenal of spears, as if they were keeping watch over some unspeakable evil. Ironically enough, no one knew just how close to the truth that really was.

But they would.

Very soon.

The seismology team, consisting of nearly two dozen men and women had cordoned off most of the area around the site, and were taking readings from instruments or checking for other signs of recent disturbances the tremors might have caused, but things were relatively calm now since this morning. But the seismic disturbances came and went seemingly of their own volition, and therefore no one could predict when the next one would hit.

Naoko stood apart from the team and the others who were assembled there, taking in the site grounds and surrounding areas, her mind casting various scenarios and conclusions back and forth. But she kept coming back to the original question: what kind of object could be causing seismic upheavals like this? There were no indications at all that a natural phenomenon could be the cause. And if that was the case…

Naoko shivered unconsciously, unable to complete the thought she was thinking. She cast her eyes around the site again, and caught sight of Takeo talking to some of the younger guys on the team, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder, and his shirt sleeves rolled up. He was a little dirty, since he'd insisted on helping out once they'd arrived on the island, but Naoko found the slightly rumpled look strangely appealing on him. Although she'd long since gotten over her initial anger toward him, she was still wondering whether or not what they had was long-term material. True, they had some chemistry, at least, and Takeo was a born charmer, that much was obvious, in spite of the scene at the bar last night. But was he the long-haul type? She didn't know. But then again, Naoko didn't know if_ she_ was either.

Takeo said something to the other guys, eliciting group laughter and a few high-fives. _Typical alpha-male behavior_, she sighed. After a second, Takeo broke from the group, and headed up the embankment where Naoko was observing the team's progress, a bright grin on his face._ Kami-sama, that smile…does he even know how disarming that is for someone like me?_ Naoko sighed internally. She wasn't the most confident woman in the world when it came to assessing her sexuality. There was no question she was attractive, but Naoko always thought being a woman ran deeper than that.

"Hey," Takeo said as he reached the top of the embankment, "how's it going?"

"It's going," she replied simply. "I can't make any other assessments right this second, seeing as how there's nothing going on."

"So…you really think this thing's not supposed to be here, huh?" Takeo crossed his arms, gazing down at the site with a thoughtful look.

"Everything points to the unnatural here, Takeo. The tremors, the severity, the duration, the way they flicker on and off at will--" Naoko took her glasses off and tossed her hair back irritably, one of the few frustrated gestures she possessed. "There's no question anymore--at least not to me. There's something buried under there. But I'm damned if I know what."

"So does this mean you're gonna try and dig this thing up?" Takeo asked, moving behind her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure that's the right way to go? You don't know what's down there."

"I don't see how we can just leave it , Takeo. Not that the prospect of unearthing this thing thrills me, either. It's like another Pandora's Box waiting to be opened."

Takeo blinked. "Huh?"

Naoko looked at him. "Pandora. A figure from Greek mythology. The woman who released all the evils of humanity."

"Oh." Takeo still looked slightly clueless, like a little kid almost. Naoko couldn't help but laugh--the expression on his face just looked so…cute.

"Hirano-san," one of the workers called up to her from below, "the seismic readings are coming in; you might want to take a look at them."

"I'll be right there," Naoko answered back. She turned to Takeo, about to make an apology when a steady electronic ring emanated from his pocket. He reached down, and pulled out his cell phone--the obvious culprit, and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Duty calls, huh?" he said. "Go ahead, Naoko-chan, I need to take this. I'll be down in a minute."

Naoko nodded. "Take your time. I may be a while." She headed down the embankment toward the edge of the site. When Takeo was sure she was out of earshot, he flipped open his cell, and spoke lowly, "Yashamura ."  
There was silence for a moment. Then, a voice answered, "Anything to report?"

"Looks like our hunch was right," Takeo said. "There's a solid object buried out here. The seismology guys're working on it right now."

"And Dr. Hirano? She's with them now?"

"Yup. Uhhh--sorry. I meant, yes, sir." Takeo recanted.

The voice on the other end made no reply to the formality. "Are they going to unearth it?"

"Probably, but not right away. Dr. Hirano's none too keen on the idea, and I don't blame her."

"Neither do I," the other voice agreed, "but we may have to jump on this regardless. Especially if her findings prove to be accurate. Keep me informed, Takeo."

"I will. Ja ne." Takeo flipped his cell shut and sighed, looking down at the area where Naoko was examining the readings from the seismology equipment.The way he'd gravitated toward her still surprised him, especially since they'd only been going together for a few months. He hadn't expected to fall for Naoko so hard; he hadn't expected to fall for her,_ period,_ but he had. He hadn't disclosed that piece of information to anyone yet, knowing it would complicate things, but still…

_Guess you're just a sucker for love. _Takeo smiled to himself, and headed down the slope toward the group again. 

He was going to have a hell of a time explaining his second line of work to Naoko when the time came. 

Sundown came slowly over the Ueno district, the retreating sunlight turning the clouds overhead bright orange, and painting the skies in hues of purple and yellow as it descended toward the horizon. Some of the shopkeepers were in the process of closing their stores for the evening, while others were gearing up for the nightly crowds that were just now starting to fill the streets.

The Golden Bushel was one of the shops wrapping things up for the day. Normally, Ryuji wouldn't have closed this early, but Jason was due back here in a few minutes, and he really wanted to help his friend get settled in. It had bugged him something awful that he'd let four years go by without seeing Jason face-to-face. Yeah, they talked a lot, but phone conversations only went so far in the long run.

Ryuji grinned to himself as he finished counting the day's earnings, and saying goodnight to the guys who worked the kitchen with him. The last of the customers were starting to file out as he put the money back in the register when Jason walked through the front door, his eyes raking the room in search of his best friend.

"Hey, Jase," he called closing the register drawer, and vaulting over the counter to greet him. He noticed Jason looked a little distracted as he closed the distance between them, but decided to let it go for the moment. "Where were you all day?"

"Ah, just checkin' things out is all--y'know, the sights, the sounds--"

"The girls," Ryuji finished knowingly. He ducked his head sheepishly, and scratched the back of his neck; a familiar gesture he knew all too well.

"Hey," He reached out and bumped Ryuji on the shoulder. "What's up, man? Something wrong?"

Ryuji shook his head. "Nah. As a matter of fact, everything's right. I'm glad you're back, Jase. I really missed you, man." .

Jason grinned at him. "I know, Ryu, it's been too long. But, uhhh…I gotta admit that surfing season ending isn't my only reason for coming back."

"Yeah? Why's that?" Ryuji asked, having a seat at the counter.

"Well...I should warn you you're not gonna believe a thing I say, but…please just lemme try and explain it, huh?"

Ryuji quirked an eyebrow. He knew Jason liked a good laugh, but he seemed awfully serious this time. "Go on, Jase," he said. 

"Okay." Jason hoisted himself into a sitting position on top of the counter. Well, it started about a month ago. I started having these weird dreams, see? And--"

Jason was cut off as the front window of the restaurant wall exploded inward and half a dozen hideous creatures, roughly humanoid but having the dull of sheen of metal on their skin, leapt in through the new entrance.

They were powerfully built, with chest and stomach muscles bulging beneath the slick metal covering their upper bodies. They had no faces to speak of--just reflective triangular plates covering their heads from the hairline down to the chin. They were swathed in dark green material that looked like it had been spray painted onto them, revealing the rest of their predatory musculature. 

Then, in a sickly, acid rasp, one of them spoke, pointing toward them. _ "Guard…ran…ger…"_

"Nandatto--?!" Ryuji yelled in surprise, instinctively reaching for a large knife behind the counter, which he threw at one of his visitors. The blade snapped unpleasantly in two as it struck its target square in the chest, barely leaving a scratch. The thing, whatever it was, was completely oblivious to the wound and advanced on Ryuji, arms outstretched to snap his neck. The others closed on Jason.

Almost reflexively, it later seemed, Jason thrust out his fist, and Ryuji spotted an elaborate silver and gold bracelet set with a blue stone he'd somehow managed to avoid noticing this morning, and cried out, "WATER FOCUS!"

The stone began to glow, and a tornado of azure energy that looked almost like water erupted from beneath Jason's feet, weaving and forming itself around him into a dazzling blue and white uniform and a stylized helmet, which looked sort of like the face of a killer whale--Ryuji was too busy trying to get away form his attacker to really notice details at the time.

Whatever power was behind that suit, Ryuji could tell it was awesome. Jason bounded over in a blur of motion behind the creature attacking Ryuji, grabbed it by the shoulders and heaved back into the street. He turned to the others, and his hand flew to his hip, drawing a short, but dangerous-looking sword. The metallic intruders responded in kind, drawing long knives with murderous edges from their tough-looking armor.

Jason lashed out like a striking snake, slicing deep into the nearest attacker, and igniting a violent trail of sparks across the thing's chest. The blade in his hand did significantly more damage than the knife Ryuji had thrown, cutting right through it. The thing shrieked in agony, then fell to the floor, lifeless.

As Ryuji watched, wide-eyed, his best friend cut a swath of destruction through the remaining attackers. They tried to fight back, but their weapons were feeble against the protective powers Jason had summoned and he didn't slow down a bit as he sliced them to metallic bits. Soon, the inside of the Golden Bushel looked like the aftermath of a bomb blast, but Ryuji and Jason were unhurt.

As they watched, the shattered remains of the metal creatures began to erode and then disintegrate into powder. Then a wind seemed to whip out of nowhere and blow their remains away.

Ryuji looked at his costumed friend for a long moment before he said anything, surveying the damage to his restaurant, and finally managing to stumble out the words, "What…the HELL… just happened?"

Jason sighed behind his helmet, slipping the blade he'd just killed eight metal men back in its sheath. "I knew you were never gonna believe this."

Ryuji's jaw was practically on the floor by now. "Dude…my best friend just turned into a superhero and wiped out a bunch of metal guys who trashed my restaurant! I'm reconsidering a _lot_ of my old beliefs right now!" 

Jason sighed, and his costume changed back into energy and vanished. "Well, I was gonna tell you anyway. Why don't I just show you?"

The streets were surprisingly clear as Jason drove his rented car through the city, towards Tokyo Tower. It seemed like everyone had known the two of them would be on whatever this important errand was and made sure to get where they were going that night earlier than usual. Jason led Ryuji to dead center beneath the spire of the tower, and looked around, apparently to make sure no one but Ryuji would see whatever secret thing he had planned.

Jason raised that weird bracelet to his face and said, "Bes, we're here. Let us in."

_"Welcome, Waterguard,"_ a strange, unearthly voice echoed. Then a small point of light appeared, hovering in thin air. It expanded until it was large enough for a person to pass through. Ryuji looked at his friend incredulously.

"What the heck is that?"

"It's a door. Just walk through it and we'll tell you the whole story."

Ryuji sighed. This was turning out to be a very weird day. But he wanted answers, and this seemed like the only way to get them. He stepped through the glowing gateway, and vanished. Jason followed, and it disappeared after them.

The next thing Ryuji knew, he was standing in some kind of well-lit cave, though where the light was coming from he couldn't guess. It was a big place, larger than the inside of the Golden Bushel by half. There were orifices in the rock walls that housed a glass-like material, almost as if they were windows. But surely this place was deep underground?

Balanced on a large stone pedestal on one end of the room was a large crystal sphere. Or so it first appeared. As Ryuji studied it, he noticed small streaks of color flitting around inside it and bouncing off the edges. Looked like some kind of funky electric bedroom decoration. 

There was a large table with half a dozen chairs around but room for more, all apparently hand-carved and looking several hundred years old but in showroom condition.

And sitting in one of those chairs was a young woman.

She was kind of pretty, he guessed. Buried under make-up she wouldn't look nearly as good. A year older or younger than himself, he wasn't quite sure. Her hair was a long rain of midnight black that was draped over one shoulder, and there was something very professional about her. Both in the look on her face and the way she dressed. Probably a scientist or a career woman, Ryuji thought. She took off her eyeglasses and looked at him, very professionally.

"Konichiwa. Fireguard, I presume?"

"Well, uhhh…the truth is, miss, I'm still trying to get all the facts straight. Where are we?"

"The Earth Sanctum. It's the Guardrangers' base of operations," she said.

"The Guard-who?" Ryuji asked in bemusement.

"Didn't Jason tell you?" Naoko raised an eyebrow.

"I think he was gonna, but the metal-man brigade showed up and ran roughshod all over my restaurant, so he just brought me here instead," Ryuji replied.

_"Yes, and without any harm to either of you, as well," _the ancient voice echoed. Ryuji looked around to see where it was coming from, and realized the crystal ball had started to glow when the voice began to speak.

Jason stepped out of the shadows. "Hi guys, sorry we're late, we kinda got distracted."

"So we heard," Naoko said dryly.

Jason grinned. "Hey, it was nothin' I couldn't handle."

_"I expected no less," _the crystal globe concurred_. "Welcome home, Fireguard."_

"Again with the Fireguard thing," Ryuji muttered. "Jase, if you're still here, can I get a reasonably sane explanation for this? Or am I asking too much?"

"I'm here," Jason said, appearing from around a corner, "I was just closing the door. You know I can never remember the magic words, Bes."

_"I suppose I should make the shutting mechanism simpler…" _the ball mused.

"Excuse me, hello? Clueless person floundering in the dark here," Ryuji interrupted.

_"Yes, forgive me for not answering sooner," _the ball said, _"I am Beservor, all that remains of an ancient wizard. And you three are the reincarnations of the Guardrangers."_

Ryuji blinked in confusion. "Nan desu ka?"

"The Guardrangers," Jason said. "They were this team of warriors who protected the planet from these guys from a sunken continent thousands of years ago. The Earth created them to defend itself, and now they're needed again so we've been reborn."

"Just like that, huh?" Ryuji asked, feeling like he'd just fallen through the looking glass. "Okay so, there's some kinda theme here with the elements, I'm guessing. Jase…you're Waterguard, obviously…and according to the guy in charge, I'm Fireguard, apparently. "And you're…?" he prompted.

"Hirano Naoko, seismologist. Earthguard," she bowed. "Konichiwa."

"Sakamoto Ryuji, chef and restaurateur. Hi."

Jason put a hand on his shoulder, "Ryuji, man…look, I'm really sorry about hitting you over the head with all this, but we need you. Now. Those guys who wrecked the Bushel were just the first wave. They're gonna get a lot worse real fast and we need to find the rest of the Guardrangers, like yesterday."

"Jase, you serious? I got a business to run, I don't have time to fight monsters…"

"Excuse me, but in case you hadn't gotten it already, this isn't about _you_, it's about the people of this planet," Naoko informed him, and not a little forcefully, "We need all the Guardrangers to protect Earth, otherwise there isn't going to be a high demand for your 'business', or anyone else's for that matter."

"Oh well, excuse me, your majesty," Ryuji retuned fire, "I've had all this crap heaped on me in the last hour, and I'm not ready to just drop everything I've ever known to take up your cause. How do I even know this stuff is legit?" Ryuji demanded, feeling extremely irked that this stranger was presuming to tell him what he should be doing.

__

"It is true, Fireguard," said Beservor, _"The Silicons attacked your establishment because they knew you and Waterguard were there. I know your memories of the past are lost to you, but you and the others once saved this planet by harnessing its elemental powers. Our enemies are aware of this, and their intent was to eliminate you before your fellow Rangers awakened to the threat."_

"Sili-what? You mean those metal guys?" Ryuji scratched his head. "Geez, this is too much…"

"Listen, why don't we start from the beginning?" Jason suggested, "I think we owe it to him, trying to force this altered destiny stuff down his throat and all…"

Beservor made a sound that seemed to be a sigh, and said, _"Yes, I suppose we should." _Ryuji took a seat at the table, expecting this to be a long story.

_"It began several thousand years ago," _Beservor explained, _"that the continent of Gargan developed advanced technology, and tried to subjugate the rest of the world. Naturally, there was no one to stand against wielders of advanced weaponry at the time, and to prevent Garganstah, the ruling kingdom of the continent, from laying siege to the world, the Earth gave rise to a group of warriors who could harness the power of nature and thus match and oppose Garganstah's power. The Eternal Sentai…Guardrangers."_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sentai??" Ryuji blinked. "You mean like those GoGo V guys, or those ninjas from a while back--the Kakurangers?"

_"Yes. Sentai…or Task Force, if you prefer, have existed in one form or the other since the beginning of time. Since the days of Ancient Mankind to the time of the dinosaurs, and now in the present day. While the rest of human race was at the Garganstahs' mercy, the Guardrangers came forth and drove them into outer space, but we fear they may have returned. In response, the souls of the Guardrangers were reborn in time to take up the fight against them again. You three are those I have managed to locate so far. I was once a mage of considerable power in my time, as well as an aide to you and the other rangers, but my soul was all that could be saved as time decimated my body…"_

"Okay," Ryuji deadpanned again, "so I helped save the world thousands of years ago. So did you guys." Jason and Naoko nodded. "So how come I don't remember any of that?"

_"While your soul is the same, your mind, as well as your memories, are different. As I said earlier, whatever recollections you may have had before your rebirth are no longer your own," _Beservor said. Jason looked at Ryuji's face; he didn't seem to be buying this.

He wasn't. "Sorry, pal. Not interested. This is either real or one hell of a prank, but I've really had too exhausting a day to care right now. I'm outta here." He stood up to go.

"Hold it, where are you going?" Naoko asked.

"Home. You guys don't need me, even if this is real. I'm no warrior, I'm totally helpless in a fight. How could I do anything against more of those metal guys?"

"That, my man, is where this comes in," Jason said, reaching to the side toward a shelf of stone that jutted out from the left. Sitting there were five crystal pillars, each one emblazoned in an astoundingly bright color. The two in the front were bright blue and yellow respectively. The one in the center was a brilliant red, and the last two behind it glowed softly and expectantly, white on the left, green on the right. The aforementioned three crystals each had one of those weird silver and gold-trimmed bracelets sitting on top of them, but the one Jason went for was the one in the middle with a triangular red gemstone set in the center. That one he tossed to Ryuji.

"_That is your Guardbrace," _Beservor said, "_The fulcrum of your power as a Guardranger. It will concentrate the strength of your element and all that it embodies when commanded to, and enhances your physical and mental attributes."_ Ryuji looked at the strange ornament but obligingly fastened it around his wrist. _This is so nuts,_ he thought.

_"I must return to my meditations, and find the other two. The rest of you must remain ready for when the enemy returns…Naoko, you will keep me appraised of your progress, I trust?"_

Naoko nodded. "Of course."

Ryuji didn't fall asleep for a long time that night. Jason was out cold almost as soon as he hit the couch, but Ryuji was still mentally digesting everything that he had been told in the last half hour.

Him, the reincarnation of somebody who had supernatural powers and saved the world thousands of years ago? He was reconsidering a lot of things he'd taken for granted since the attack on his life earlier that night, but this took the proverbial cake. He looked down at his Guardbrace, the triangular red jewel in it glowing faintly in the darkness, as if it were answering back in silent, unspoken counsel. He'd seen what Jason's could do. Would it do the same for him if the need arose?

He thought about putting it away somewhere, but thought better of it for some reason and feel into a dreamless sleep.

Somewhere in the confines of a hidden chamber with cold, metallic walls, behind which the muted sounds of power humming through circuits and conduits could be heard, a pair of voices--and neither of them even remotely human--could be heard speaking in heated tones of voice.

"Destroyed?How?" one of the voices asked from his seat of power in disbelief.

"I don't know how. I returned to the building expecting to find two dead mortals, and found dust, weapons, and shattered glass instead. There's no question about this. It must have been them. Or one of them at any rate." the other voice said.

"I don't know why I'm surprised, really. But I doubt these are the same ones. Most likely these new warriors are descendants of the originals--I've only heard whispers and half-truths about them, not enough to be totally certain." The deeper-voice being paused for a moment, as though pondering his next statement. "Only two of them, you said?**"**

"Yes. One of them was a foreigner, an American, as I recall. The other one had faint traces, but no true aura of power about him." the other confirmed.

"Which suggests his powers haven't awakened fully, if they have at all. We can use that to our advantage, and eliminate him while he's weak." The figure rose, his massive frame evident even in the chamber's subdued light, and glared into the shadows in the room's far corner.

"Mergol!" he thundered.

The air in the corner of the room shimmered like sunlight reflected off water, the darkness shifting and conforming into a towering figure seven feet tall, and covered in black armor, decorated with silver highlights on the shoulder and shin guards. A five-foot blade hung menacingly from the jet-black scabbard on the warrior's back. His face was covered in metal, except for the eyepieces, behind which two slits of pale blue glowed cold light.

"Your orders? the warrior asked, kneeling.

"The Guardrangers," the leader replied. "I want them dealt with before the other one has a chance to revive his powers. Be discrete, however--the Silicons caused too much of a disturbance last time. Wait until morning if you must, but I want them both dead. Is that clear?"

"Done. " Mergol rose from his spot on the floor, and vanished from sight.

The leader turned back to his subordinate. "Has it been unearthed yet?"

"No. I doubt they have any idea what it is they've found yet," he answered.

"Go then. And keep me informed. I have no intention of letting anyone take this from me." The tone in the leader's voice left no room for argument. The subordinate nodded, then teleported out. The leader narrowed his eyes, a flare of blue energy blossoming in his hand as he clenched his fingers.

"Soon," He told the darkness. "very soon…"

Sunlight filtered in through the spaces in the Venetian blinds, sending tiny shafts of sunlight across Ryuji's face, urging him out of a heavy and somewhat restless slumber. His dark brown eyes opened a crack, allowing his vision to adjust to the light, and sat up, stretching the stiffness out of his joints. His still considerably bleary from sleep, came to rest on his alarm clock.

_9:48 am. Boy, I must've really been bushed last night. What a whacked-out dream I had…_Ryuji sighed with relief. It had all been just some sleep-induced hallucination, probably brought on by working to many long hours at the Golden Bushel. Yeah, that was it--the whole thing had been some screwball nightmare. Ryuji enjoyed that fantasy for all of thirty seconds before he felt the warm touch of metal around his wrist. He looked down and saw that the Guardbrace Jason had given him was still there, the triangular crimson stone set in the middle staring smugly back at him.

_So much for nightmares,_ he sighed internally as he straightened up. Ryuji was still dressed from the previous night, except for his sneakers, which were lying on the floor at the foot of the bed. Working the last of the sleep-kinks out of his body, he reached down for his sneakers and headed for the living room to check on Jason. Ryuji hadn't really talked to him during the drive home last night, so Jason took that to mean he was pissed off, which was true for the most part. But Ryuji's anger had been directed at everything else_ but_ Jason. Who did those guys think they were anyway? Expecting him to just drop everything else he had going on and let himself be drafted into some ancient war he didn't even _remember_, to say nothing of actually fighting in!

Ryuji shook his head, yawning expansively he entered the living room. To his surprise, Jason was still dead to the world, sprawled on his stomach across the length of the couch. His clothes and hair were rumpled from moving around in his sleep all night, and his blanket was shoved down in the couch's right corner. He also had a slightly pained look on his face. Ryuji sighed with moderate guilt; he never should've given him the silent treatment last night, but he'd been too absorbed in all the craziness that had happened to really help it. He reached over the back of the couch and rubbed Jason's head.

"I'm sorry, man," he sighed. Ryuji headed out the front door, grabbing his cell phone, and swinging on his leather jacket. He shut the door softly behind him and started walking across the street from his apartment toward a small park on the other side of the block. As he did, he put in a call to the Golden Bushel. Ryuji had asked one of the guys from work to open up for him and see about getting the window repaired as soon as possible, explaining that the whole thing had been some random act of vandalism. The vandalism part was true enough, but there hadn't been anything remotely random about it. 

After he'd finished checking in, he found himself heading for his favorite spot at the park's far end under a huge shade tree in front of the playground area. Normally, he would've gone to Ueno Park since it was closer to his place than this one, but he wasn't in the mood for crowded places just then, and Ueno Park was one of the biggest attractions in the city. Besides, this park was different. It was his favorite place in the whole city for a specific reason: He and Jason had met each other there several years ago, and it was the one place in the world where he could go to make sense out of whatever was bothering him in his life at the time.

The park was deserted--strangely so for this time of the morning since it was a popular spot for kids, but it was completely to Ryuji's liking as he plopped himself into the grass, and stretched out on his back. The tree limbs over his head creaked as a light breeze whistled through them, throwing the mid-morning sunlight into a glittering array of dark and light. Ryuji sighed lightly and closed his eyes, finally feeling most of his irritations from the previous night melt away. But the bigger scenario still tugged at the back his mind: Him? Ryuji Sakamoto? Fireguard? A warrior? 

"Hey," Ryuji felt someone's hand on his shoulder, and opened his eyes to find Jason crouching next to him, holding a tall paper cup of something steamy and, knowing Jason's habits, loaded with caffeine. "Thought you could use this."

Ryuji took it with a nod as Jason settled into the grass next to him. "You still mad at me?"

"I was never mad at you, Jase." Ryuji took a swig out of the cup Jason gave him. He really wasn't a big coffee drinker, but he figured he needed some kind of buzz right then. "And I'm sorry about giving you the silent treatment last night. This whole thing, man--I didn't know what to make of it. I still don't…it's…it's…

"What, nuts? Psycho? Out in the ozone?" Jason finished for him. "Believe me, I thought the same thing when Bes told me. Heck, I still do sometimes, y'know? But, Ryu…" he put an arm around his friend's shoulders. "We need you. I dunno how else to say it. You're the one, man."

Ryuji sighed, finally looking Jason in the eyes. "Jase, what do you expect me to do with this? I'm supposed to just give up everything I worked my butt off for? And for what? To go jump head-first into some bazillion-year old war I don't even remember, and play super sentai for the rest of my life?" He sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not saying it's not important. I don't want anybody to get hurt or killed or anything because I didn't try and stop it, but…I don't know if I can hack this, man. I don't even know if I want to."

"Then perhaps leaving well enough alone would serve you better," an inhuman voice advised from nowhere. Jason's head snapped up as the air in front of him rippled violently, and congealed into a towering armored figure in black armor. Reaching over, he hauled Ryuji to his feet, and moved between them quickly, slipping into a protective fighting stance.

"Who the--" Ryuji blurted out, taking a step back in spite of himself. Jason raised an eyebrow and actually_ grinned_ at the armored guy.

"Well, well, well, look what we got here," Jason drawled. "A big, bad, Garg-dude, am I right?"

_Garg?_ Short for Garganstah, he figured. Ryuji rolled his eyes. Only Jason would come up with an alias like that.

"Out of my way, boy," the warrior snarled. "I'll have your heart after I'm done carving out his."

"I hate being so popular," Ryuji muttered.

"Go ahead and try, man." Jason challenged. "I can tell you for sure you won't be able to finish it." He cracked his knuckles for emphasis. "What's your name, dude?"

"Mergol. And for your sake, I hope you can retain that sense of optimism when you and your friend are feeding the earth with your blood in a moment." Mergol drew his sword, a metallic whisper filling the air as it cleared its scabbard. Jason doubled his fists, growing a glance over his shoulder at Ryuji.

"Get outta here, man, I got this," Jason urged. Ryuji stared back blankly.

"I'm not gonna leave you here, Jase!" He stared at his Guardbrace, the red stone in the center suddenly glowing steadily in response to his outburst. Unfortunately, Mergol noticed as well.

"So you _are_ the one, eh? This makes my job easier. Silicons!" The air around Mergol flickered again, and a dozen Silicons appeared, bearing swords and sickles with brutal, serrated edges glittering dangerously in the sunlight. Mergol pointed to Ryuji. "KILL HIM!"

"Ryuji, get outta here! GO!!" Jason launched himself forward, shouldering Mergol in the chest. He back flipped out of Mergol's reach just in time to avoid a sword swing, but the move quickly put him inside the main concentration of Silicons, two of which had broken from the group, and were going after Ryuji. Jason lashed out and drove his elbow into the throat of the one closest to him, then rammed the heel of his hand into the forehead of the other one in front, stunning the Silicon long enough for Jason to gut it with its own sword. 

Jason caught another Silicon closing from the back out of the corner of his eye. Moving on pure instinct, he swerved into a cartwheel, planting his hands against the chest of a Silicon near him who hadn't gotten its balance back yet, and grabbing a handful of the fabric of its uniform as he did. Still in motion, he brought his legs up and over his head, rammed his right foot into the dead creature's muscular stomach, rolled on his back, and threw the thing forward over his head right into the other Silicon that was about to charge, sending both of the monstrous grunts sprawling.

Ryuji vaulted a nearby bench, the other Silicon only a few steps behind him. As soon as his sneakers hit the grass, he whipped around with his arm out, catching his pursuer around the ankle as it jumped, and heaved the thing head-first into a cluster of bushes. True, one would mistake him for Jet Li any time soon, but no one could ever accuse him of not being able to improvise in a pinch. Unfortunately the blunt end of a sword chose that particular moment to voice its opinion to the back of Ryuji's head, sending him hard to the grass.

"Dammit! Ryuji!" Jason yelled as he stuck down another Silicon, then knocked three more off their feet with a sweep of his leg. He threw his arm out in front of him and shouted, "WATER FOCUS!" The familiar storm of azure surged around Jason's body, covering him completely, then burst outward leaving him in swathed in his bright blue and white Guardsuit. In an explosive burst, he leaped skyward, easily clearing the ring of Silicons around him, and in the same motion drew the short sword on his hip out of its sheath. In an arc of blue light, he ripped the blade downward into the Silicon standing over Ryuji. It shrieked in outrage as the hit connected in a shower of sparks, and its body hit the ground, turning to dust in an instant.

"You okay, Ryu? Can you walk?" he asked, helping Ryuji up. But he never got the chance to answer Jason back as Mergol's voice thundered from behind.

**"OBSIDIAN SWARM!" **Jason looked up just in time to see a blizzard of smoldering black shards coming at him and Ryuji. They slammed into Jason's chest and battered Ryuji's body from every direction imaginable. They both yelled in pain, the hits igniting sparks in multiple places across their bodies. They collapsed into the lawn barely hanging onto consciousness as Mergol approached.

"What sad examples you are," he snorted with derision. "Barely even worthy of the power you possess." He slammed his boot into Jason's stomach, igniting a blast furnace of pain inside him. He groaned though clenched teeth, refusing to give Mergol the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.

"Pity neither of you were worthy of a satisfying kill," Mergol announced, dragging the tip of his blade across Jason's gut to his chest, where he'd been hit the hardest. He raised his sword high, aimed right at Jason's heart. "Oh well…say farewell to this--"

A glare of light against metal flashed from behind as something hard and sharp raked across Mergol's back, striking sparks from the hit and staggered him. He swerved around furious, and saw a lithe female figure standing behind him amid the rapidly disintegrating remains of the other Silicons she'd just destroyed. She was dressed in the same kind of costume Jason wore, but this one was yellow and white instead of blue, and had a short skirt at the waist. The helmet she wore was different as well--crafted in the image of a bear from the look of it. She stood in front of Mergol as cool as ice, her arms crossed in front of her.

"WHO…?!" Mergol sputtered.

"Soldier of Stone…Earthguard." she replied, as if she they weren't discussing anything more serious than the weather, "Apologies for cutting in, so to speak. You were about to say something, I believe?" 

"Well," Mergol snarled, "it seems like I'll have an interesting time of things after all."

"Some people find entertainment in the strangest of hobbies," Earthguard sighed.

He lashed out in rage, but she darted to the side, and easily avoided the swing and scored another spark-filled hit to his ribcage, then swung around again and swiped him across the chest. Earthguard threw a glance at Jason, who was finally up on his feet thanks to the distraction she'd provided.

"Jason! Daijoubu?" she shouted.

"Yeah, I'm okay" Waterguard answered, "but Ryuji's not!"

"Nani?" She hadn't noticed Ryuji lying there before, practically unconscious, his upper body still smoking slightly from Mergol's previous attack. Earthguard yelled over at him, "Get him out of here! Hurry!" She started to attack again but Mergol had taken full advantage of her moment of distraction, and slammed his sword across her side, sparks flying from the attack, and sent her hurtling sideways across the grass. Mergol turned to see the Ranger in blue swinging Ryuji over his shoulders, preparing to run for safety. Mergol's blade flashed out, a line of black light pulsing from the tip, and snaked around Waterguard's neck. 

"You're not going anywhere, except back to me," Mergol growled, yanking back brutally and sent Waterguard flying backward, and Ryuji falling face first into the grass again, "And afterwards, to your _maker_!" Black energy surged through the coil around the young warrior's neck, igniting an eruption of sparks across his body. Waterguard cried out in pain again as Naoko struggled to her feet and charged Mergol from the side.

Jason's cries of agony finally roused Ryuji from his state of unconsciousness, but he was nowhere near in control of his faculties yet. His head was thundering inside, and his body, especially his chest, felt like it was on fire. He rolled on his side, and tried to focus through his blurry vision.

He immediately wished he hadn't, because the first sight his saw was his best friend slumping to the ground, motionless, except for the rise and fall of his chest through his costume. The second was Mergol and the woman in yellow driving sword strikes against each other with blinding speed. Ryuji gathered what was left of his strength--which wasn't much--, and took stumbling steps toward Jason's body. His aching legs gave out just as Ryuji reached him, and he fell face down across his friend's chest.

"Jason?" He rasped out, lifting his head up and squeezing Jason's shoulders. "Jase, talk to me, man…what do I do…? How do I stop this guy…? **JASE!!**" Ryuji shook his friend harder, but to no effect, fear and desperation burning holes in his heart. He looked up and saw that Mergol had gained the upper hand over Earthguard, and was driving blows into her rapidly crumbling defensive measures. She wasn't going to last much longer, he knew, but what could he do to stop it? He was no fighter--he didn't even have the strength to stand up for more than a few seconds without falling to his knees. So how could he--

_Fire…the fire…summon…the fire…_

"Nani?" Ryuji stared at his wrist. His Guardbrace was glowing a furious shade of red. He could practically feel the power throbbing inside it begging to be released. A wave of strength flowed through him then, sending unbelievable warmth through his body, pushing the pain and fatigue from his injuries to one side. And then he knew…he knew what he needed to do to end this. He climbed to his feet.

"HEY!" he yelled.

Mergol turned around to face him and snorted. "Humph…A fool to the last, I see. Your breed truly are gluttons for punishment!"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Earthguard shouted to him. "You can't fight him in your condition!"

Ryuji didn't answer her. His eyes were trained on Jason's body lying at his feet, and then he slowly raised them toward Mergol. Everything in his vision turned blood red in an instant in response to his rage as he threw his arm up over his head and shouted, "FIRE FOCUS!"

A corona of blazing red exploded out of the ground under Ryuji. He felt a great inner fire swallow him whole from the inside as the light wove itself around him solidified into a bright red and white suit of the same design as the others, and although he couldn't see the helmet he was wearing from the outside, he knew somehow that it was a stylized dragon's head. Ryuji felt power like nothing he'd ever dreamed of literally burning through his blood, and turned his hate-filled eyes on Mergol, who'd abruptly halted his attack on Earthguard.

"Gods and Minions…" Mergol stammered, "he's awakened…!"

Ryuji opened his mouth to speak, the words forming on his mouth strange, but somehow familiar as well. "Soldier of the Inferno!" he shouted into the air, bracing his arms out in front of him in a fighting stance. "Fireguard!" 

Recovering from the momentary shock, the warrior in black swung his sword outward in a murderous arc. **"OBSIDIAN SWARM!" **he thundered as another swarm of burning black energy split the air and screamed toward Ryuji.

He didn't even try to run. Ryuki simply clenched his fists, and a burning column of red fire engulfed his body, splintering and diffusing the energy storm as it struck the flames, leaving him completely unscathed. Mergol pulled back a step in astonishment.

"My turn," Ryuji growled, whipping out his short sword from its sheath, and holding it to his side. The fire around him expanded to twice its size and intensity as he gripped his sword's hilt with both hands, his muscles tensing with anticipation.

Then without knowing how he knew to do it, he swung out and upward with all his might and shouted, **"DRAGON HELLRISER!"** A shockwave of burning red exploded forward, racing toward Mergol with blinding speed, and ripped into his body with the force of an exploding truck.

Mergol's bellow of outrage and agony were quickly lost the roar of the fires consuming him as his body sparked violently, blue energy like lightning crackling around him. He dropped his blade to the grass, and glared at Ryuji with unbelieving eyes. As Mergol's blade slipped out of his fingers, Jason finally stirred from his spot on the lawn behind Ryuji, holding his head.

"Ohhhh, _man,_ what hit me?" He groaned and sat up, but his next words died in his throat as he took in the sight of Ryuji standing in front of him, dressed in his Guardsuit, and surrounded by fire, and Mergol literally going up in flames. All he could do was stare wordlessly, and he wasn't the only one. Earthguard was just as affected as he was.

Mergol exploded into nothingness a split-second after, leaving no trace of him but a patch of scorched earth. The fire around Ryuji's body flared for an instant as his Guardsuit flickered, then vanished out of existence. Bereft of the Guardsuit's power, Ryuji dropped to his knees, tired, but not as exhausted as he thought he'd have been from something like this.

Ryuji felt a hand grip his shoulder from the back. He turned to see Jason still in costume, holding his chest, but he knew Jason was grinning from under his helmet.

"Way to go, hotshot, I knew you could do it!" He punched his friend in the chest as the woman in yellow inspected Mergol's remains. "Goddamn, man, you tore him **UP**!"

"Jase…I…I thought you were…I didn't know if…" Ryuji found himself stumbling for words, he was so relieved. Finally, he gave up and wrapped an arm around Jason's shoulders, hugging him briefly. "You alright, man?" he asked, finally.

"Yeah, man. It hurt like hell, but I'm cool." He rubbed the back of Ryuji's head as he helped his friend stand up. Jason's Guardsuit flickered and dissipated into blue light as it left his body and flowed back into his Guardbrace. The two men walked over to where Earthguard had just straightened up after examining the space where Mergol's body had been moments before.

"Anything?" Jason asked her.

"Not a trace," she answered. Her costume rippled into energy, and dissolved, revealing Naoko Hirano beneath.

"Well, well, well, look who it is…" Ryuji said

Naoko looked back at him irritated. "Oh, so you're a closet chauvinist, too? What, you think a woman can't handle the job?" she asked him flatly. "And why didn't you transform before? Still dragging your feet?

"Hey, listen, you--" Ryuji started, but Jason put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Hey Naoko, chill. We got jumped. I didn't have time to tell him everything before Sword-Boy showed up." He gestured to the still-smoldering spot in the grass. 

"No, I suppose you didn't, considering the way things were going," Naoko admitted, but didn't apologize for what she'd said. She crossed her arms and stared down at the smoking ground again. "We were lucky this time. They weren't expecting you to awaken the way you did." she told Ryuji without looking at him.

"Yeah, damn lucky." Jason agreed. "I guess this means you're really one of us now, huh, man?" he said, patting Ryuji on the back.

Ryuji stared at Jason for a minute, then sighed, turning back to the smoking grass at his feet. "Yeah," he muttered. 

"Lucky me."

The Beginning…


	2. Episode 2: All Assembled! Soldiers of th...

****

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 2: All Assembled! Soldiers of the Earth!

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

_"Magnificent!" _Beservor exclaimed. If crystal balls could look excited, he did. _"The passing of time has not diminished your powers in the slightest. If anything, they are stronger than before. The first of many of our victories."_

"Whoa, Bes. Don't oversell it," Jason interrupted, "all we did was ice one bad guy." Jason stopped for a second, then ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, well…maybe not _iced_, exactly. If anything, he was kinda…hot under the collar, y'know?" He gave Ryuji a bashful grin.

_"Indeed he was. But you will defeat many more. Of that I have no doubt," _Beservor replied.

While the remains of the ancient wizard and Jason talked back and forth, Ryuji sat deep in thought, looking down at the Guardbrace on his arm. He still wasn't sure he liked this set up, but the elemental power that bracelet had let him command felt so familiar. So _welcome._ And defeating the Silicons and Mergol…he'd never imagined a human could command that kind of power, to say nothing of the skill behind it Once he'd transformed, the rest had become pure instinct. It had been as natural as breathing fresh air.

He looked at the others sitting in the Earth Sanctum, the underground sanctuary where Beservor had made the group's base of operations. Jason, who was still talking to the crystal ball about the battle, and who had turned his life upside down twenty-four hours ago by introducing Ryuji to all this Guardranger stuff. And Naoko Hirano, the only other Guardranger they had found, sitting a few feet down from where he was. He'd been watching her for a while now.

_If she wasn't so hard-nosed_, he thought, _she'd be a lot easier to work with. Hell, she might even make a fun date. _ If she lost her uptightness, that was.

"A few yen for your thoughts?" she asked pointedly, bringing Ryuji back to reality. Or whatever passed for it now in the wake of all this craziness. "Or is the price to high?" 

"Nani? Oh, just thinking about the fight. I can't believe the way we wailed on those guys."

"Well, you did destroy Mergol single-handedly--I'll give you that much. But I wouldn't let that go to your head," she said. "There's more where Mergol came from."

"Nani? More??"

"Oh, come on now. You didn't seriously believe that was the last of it, did you? Think about it; Mergol was sent to get rid of us. Obviously whoever he was working for knows about the Guardrangers and they don't want us fouling up the works."

"You know, if this is your idea of trying to talk me into staying with this outfit, that's not helping," Ryuji informed her, "I'm not looking to go shopping for a plot in the local cemetery."

Naoko sighed. "Kami-sama, is that the only thought you've got running through your head? Self-preservation?"

"No, I'm actually thinking about how good in the war against evil a chef is when you put him on the front lines. My job's running a restaurant, not fighting monsters and tyrants and whatnot. Besides," he added smugly, "why do you want someone around who you're bound to argue with all the time?"

"I've been wondering that myself," Naoko came back. "But unlike you, I'm thinking about the people we're supposed to protect," Naoko countered, "Waterguard and I never could've beaten Mergol by ourselves; we need the whole team. And no matter how much you gripe, you're part of it."

"Geez, do you ever have any _fun_?" Ryuji asked before leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms behind his head. Naoko made a sound of frustration, but said nothing. Ryuji couldn't help but grin at her when she wasn't looking, though. As infuriatingly dedicated and straight-laced as Naoko was, there was something about her he really liked. She was smart_ and_ tough--two things he'd always liked in the opposite sex, and definitely not the type to take a whole lot of grief from anyone. 

She was actually pretty cute now that he had a chance to look at her more closely. Her hair wasn't braided anymore; it hung low and framed her face, a few strands dangling down across her forehead. It was held in place halfway down her back by a jade hair clasp and draped over her left shoulder. The whole effect was strangely appealing--almost hypnotizing in its way. He probably would've gone on staring for a good while longer if he hadn't felt the sudden movement of a hand ruffling his hair from behind.

Ryuji turned around and saw Jason standing behind his chair with a grin on his face. "You're gonna make a real mess if you keep drooling like that, dude."

"What, are you kidding? Drooling? Me? Over_ her_?? Get serious, Jase," Ryuji shrugged Jason's hand off his head.

_"As pleased as I am with our first victory," _Beservor interrupted, _"I am afraid that Naoko is correct in her assessment of the need for the totality of the group. We must focus our efforts on finding Airguard and Forestguard. Our enemies will waste no time in hunting them down once they discover them."_

"Yeah, but they could be anywhere," Jason protested. "And was different with Ryu," he said, gesturing to Ryuji from behind his friend's chair. "I mean, with his powers awakening and all."

_"True, but not in this case. I am certain they are somewhere in the city above us, and like Ryuji, on the verge of manifesting their powers again."_

"Somewhere in the city…Oh, thanks, Bes. If _that_ doesn't narrow it down, I don't know_ what_ will," Ryuji said with mild sarcasm.

_"Yes, well…" _the old wizard said defensively, _"I have already cast a series of spells that will help in locating the others. However, they will not become active until morning. Therefore, the rest of you must remain on guard until we can take direct action. Return here first thing tomorrow, and perhaps we will be able to continue the search then."_

"Ugh…I feel like just got dismissed from the principal's office," Ryuji grumped as he, Jason, and Naoko walked away from Tokyo Tower into the late morning sunlight. Amazingly enough no one had seen them emerge from the portal that led to the Earth Sanctum, but now that they were out in the open, the area was suddenly teeming with tourists and passers-by.

"Well, seeing as how you're acting like a juvenile delinquent as far as your sacred duty's concerned, I can't say I'm exactly surprised by that," Naoko remarked dryly as they made their way across the street where Jason's car and her Jeep were parked.

Ryuji frowned at her. "You saying I'm a kid or something?"

"I'm saying if you act like one over something this important, don't expect to be treated any other way." Naoko tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You almost died yesterday. Anyone with sense would've taken that as a hint to take this with the respect it deserves."

Ryuji huffed with irritation, about to sting the good doctor with a snappy comeback when Jason moved between them, wrapping an arm around Ryuji's shoulders. "C'mon, Naoko, let's be fair about this, huh? You know I freaked out when I started up with this outfit. You just gotta give him time to get used to it."

"Who says I _wanna_ get used--" Ryuji asked as Jason clamped a hand over his mouth. But not before Naoko turned aggravated eyes on him.

"That's exactly the type of mindset you _don't _need. You keep up that train of thought, and you _will _need a plot in the local cemetery." She fished her keys out of her pocket as she approached her Jeep, and opened the door, tossing in her briefcase. "I have to get back to the site," she said to Jason, who'd lost his grip on Ryuji by now. "Let me know if you come up with anything before Beservor does. And for Kami's sake, try and do _something_ with him." She gave Ryuji another look of irritation before getting into the driver's seat, and pulling away from the curb.

Ryuji shook his head. "I'm supposed to get along with _that_?" 

Jason sighed, placating his best friend. "Look, I know she's kinda straight-laced and all, man, but she's got a point."

"A point where?" Ryuji asked irritably. "And what's with the 180, man? Weren't you just on my side about five seconds ago?"

Jason was about to say something, suppressed irritation flashing across his face for a second, then apparently decided it wasn't worth saying. He shook his head, and walked off toward his rental car, shoulders slumped in defeat.

Ryuji watched his friend walk away from him, and smacked himself in the forehead for talking too much. He'd done this ever since they'd known each other--whenever Jason tried to get through to him about something, Ryuji would end up shutting down or insulting Jason outright in one form or the other, letting his mouth go ahead of his common sense. Jason has saved his life not once--but twice in the past twenty-four hours, and it just occurred to Ryuji that he hadn't even thanked Jason for it yet. Instead he'd shot his mouth off and insulted him.

_Can you say "ingrate"? _he thought to himself.

Ryuji finally shook himself out of his daze, glancing up at Jason's retreating back, then chased after him. "Jase? Jase, wait up, man!"

Naoko replayed the whole exchange she'd just had with Ryuji in her mind as she drove to work. Maybe she was expecting a little much of him so soon. He _had _almost died during that fight, and it was only by some miraculous circumstance that Ryuji had awakened when he had. Still, though, he was one of their group of legendary warriors. How could he even consider ignoring the kind of duty they had? Didn't he have_ any_ idea what was hanging in the balance here?

Naoko shook her head. It would be a long drive back to the camp, and then she'd have to drive back into the city in the morning to check in with Beservor. There had to be a faster way. What kind of superhero _drove_ to emergencies, for Kami's sake? If there had really been other teams like them, as Beservor said, surely they had all thought of something to solve this problem. If only they'd thought of something to persuade an obstinate teammate.

Just then the high-pitched ringing of her cell phone sounded out of her purse. A After fumbling around for a few seconds, she hauled it out and answered it, "Hirano Naoko."

"Ah, hello, Naoko." It was Dr. Amasada. "The team at the camp just called, said you left last night and haven't checked in there yet. Is anything wrong?"

"Well, sir, my ah…aunt fell off a ladder and I had to come back to the city in a hurry. I'll be out at the camp as soon as I can."

"Good. Find out what it is as soon as you can. That thing has me worried."

_That makes two of us. _" I will, Doctor. I'll call you when I get back to the site. Ja ne." she said as she hung up. _My aunt fell off a ladder…how original. Well…hopefully, we can get this team together in time to stop whatever danger that thing poses_, she thought to herself as she drove out of Tokyo.

Ryuji sat quietly by the open window in the Golden Bushel's back office, a slight breeze ushering in and ruffling his dark hair, lost in thought. Although he'd had a hard time thinking about anything at all that didn't involve the fight yesterday. He'd taken a short break from the traffic jam of hungry patrons packed into the place on lunch hour, but the truth of it was, his mind wasn't on his business. Not at all. 

His thoughts were centered solely on his best friend, and the chaos he'd inadvertently brought with him when he came back into Ryuji's life. Jason hadn't said a word to him since they got back and gone their separate ways for the day, and naturally he felt bad about getting on Jason's back like he had. But it wasn't as if he didn't have solid reasoning behind why he didn't want to be a superhero. He didn't know anything about using supernatural powers or fighting monsters. The victory yesterday was probably just a fluke. Reincarnation of an ancient hero or not, didn't he have a say?

Jason's friendship meant a lot to him, of course, but did Jason really expect him to risk his life fighting an army of super-powered monsters protecting the world with nothing more than a flashy suit and a fiery punch? Surely the rest would be worse than Mergol. But on the same note, Jason and Naoko were taking the same risk. And in all likelihood, so would the other two soon-to-be Guardrangers, whoever they were. It wasn't like he was on his own or anything. And he knew Jason wouldn't bail out on him when things got serious. That is if they were still on speaking terms after this morning…

But wasn't he thinking too much of himself? Being a hero, especially a super one, was always about doing what the needs of others demanded. He'd never been the type to walk away from someone in trouble. Maybe he should consider it after all…

The noises from the kitchen brought him back to reality. Dealing with this problem would have to wait until he didn't have a restaurant full of hungry people that needed his attention. He stood up, put on his apron, and went to help the boys in the kitchen.

Jason sighed expansively from his spot on the grass where he'd been lying for the better part of the last two hours. He still hadn't had any luck finding a place in the city fairly close to Ryuji's apartment, but after what happened this morning, he was wondering if putting some distance between himself and his best friend wasn't such a bad prospect. He'd known deep down Ryuji had never intended to hurt his feelings, but it happened regardless, and Jason hadn't taken it well.

He'd somehow found himself back in the park where Beservor had called him the previous morning, and was staring up at the bright blue skies over his head. Off to the far left on the park's basketball court, a group of young Japanese guys his age decked out in muscle shirts, shorts, and sneakers were taking a break from the game they were playing. Jason briefly entertained the idea of asking to jump in, but it was obvious from the way the guys laughed and jostled good-naturedly with each other that they were a close-knit group, and probably wouldn't take kindly to a stranger horning in on their game. Jason couldn't find it in himself to shoulder any more rejection today anyway.

Jason's eyes went back to the crowd of guys on the court, watching them joke around with each other again. Then one of them checked his wristwatch, and said something to the group. A ripple of disappointment moved through the other guys faces, but it only lasted a second before they exchanged high-fives with the first guy, who broke from the group, and headed for the edge of the court, slinging a sports bag over his shoulder, and moved toward the parking lot.

The guys on the court starting talking to each other, apparently deciding whether or not to keep playing, when one of them--a tall, broad-shouldered guy with short black hair and brown eyes turned toward the area where Jason was lying. He narrowed his eyes for a second in thought, then turned back toward his buddies, who started talking in hushed tones among themselves. Jason straightened up and quirked an eyebrow in curiosity._ What's up?_ he wondered.

After a second, the black-haired guy jogged across from the court to where Jason was sitting, and graced him with a friendly grin. "Hey, man. Listen, I know this is a little out of the ordinary, but one of my buddies had to leave, and we're short one guy. You wanna play?" he asked, gesturing with his thumb toward the court.

Jason blinked, surprised. "Well…yeah, sure. I mean…it's cool with the other guys, right? I don't wanna horn in or anything."

"Nah, it's okay," the black-haired guy grinned again. He stuck his hand out. "I'm Takeo, by the way. Yashamura Takeo."

Jason took his hand, grinning back. "Jason Marger. Nice to meet you."

"Marger…" Takeo narrowed his eyes again. "Wait a sec…the surfer? You won the tournament in Hawaii last month, right?"

Jason nodded. "You saw it?"

"I was _there_! Damn, you left those other guys eating sea spray, man!" Takeo was grinning hugely now. "Wow, the guys're gonna go nuts when I tell 'em! C'mon, I'll introduce you." 

Jason followed Takeo across the grass toward the court where the other guys were waiting, unable--and unwilling--to suppress the bright grin growing across his face as he and Takeo started talking between themselves.

Now if only finding a girl would be this easy…

The sun was low in the sky but already Ryuji and Jason were reporting back to Tokyo Tower, about to open the doorway that led to their new home away from home beneath the metal spire. Neither of them had said a word to each other since waking up and driving out together. Jason hadn't gotten back to Ryuji's apartment until late the previous night. Apparently, he'd been talking to some guy he'd been playing basketball with all day, and from the way they'd been laughing outside the front door to his place, Ryuji guessed they'd hit it off pretty well. The other guy had told Jason that he was moving out of his apartment, and into a place closer to Shinjuku--downtown Tokyo--and had offered to show Jason the place tomorrow. 

Ryuji looked over at his best friend, who was staring straight-faced through the windshield, not giving Ryuji so much as a glance. His stomach clenched up with guilt; he HATED it when Jason was mad at him._ Well, don't just sit there, Sakamoto…say something to him!_

"Hey, Jase?" Ryuji said, breaking the relative quiet.

"Yeah?"

Ryuji bit his lip in vexation, his voice full of remorse. "I'm sorry, man… I'm sorry about giving you a hard time yesterday… it's just--"

Jason's face softened with empathy. "Don't sweat it, Ryu. It's been rough on all of us, trust me."

"I'm still not sure I want in on this…"

Jason clapped Ryuji's shoulder, "Just give it a chance, dude. This isn't about us, it's about the world. You gotta remember that."

Ryuji sighed, "I'll try."

The doorway of light appeared in the air once again, and the two stepped through it. It vanished behind them, and they descended into the Earth Sanctum. It was much as it had been earlier, except for some reason it was brighter than usual inside, and Naoko was already sitting at the meeting table waiting for them. Funny, hadn't she been complaining about what a long drive it was to where she worked?

"Hey, Naoko," Jason said with a bright grin. "Yo, Bes." He gestured to the crystal globe. "So…any word on reinforcements yet?"

_"Yes." _the wizard replied. _"I have uncovered two sizeable elemental power signatures, both on the verge of awakening. Both of them are within the immediate area of Tokyo, but the locations are somewhat vague."_

"So how do we find them?" Ryuji asked.

_"The Guardbraces," _Beservor explained. _"The enchantments from which they were created are attuned the supernatural energies of the other Rangers' inherent elements. They should have manifested enough so that the Guardbraces can detect them."_

"So, what, we just go out scouring the city, and hope we get lucky? Am I the only one who thinks that's a little off the beam?" Ryuji queried.

"Yes, I admit the methods of search we have available to us are…less than conventional, but it is all we can do until we find the others," Beservor returned. "Ryuji. I ask that you undertake the search for Forestguard."

Ryuji blinked. "Me? Well…okay, sure…I guess…How much trouble could I get into by myself?"

"Well, as tempting as that is to answer, it's not an issue." Naoko said evenly as she stood up. "Seeing as how I'm going with you."

"You think I can't do this alone?" Ryuji asked indignantly.

"I think two sets of eyes are better than one. And given what happened with Mergol, you shouldn't be by yourself in a fight just yet. You're still in the early stages of awakening." There was none of the judgment and irritation in her tone that had been there yesterday. _She almost sounded…sincere_, Ryuji noted. _Well…maybe it wouldn't hurt to deal with it together. She's right--I'm still a rookie in all this. Besides, I just got things straightened out with Jase; no sense getting into another argument_.

Ryuji nodded. "Okay. Why not?"

"Awesome," Jason nodded. "So I get Airguard, right, Bes?"

_"Correct," _the crystal globe concurred. _"I leave the task of finding her to you."_

"HER???" Jason's eyes lit up.

"Here it comes…" Ryuji put a hand over his eyes. Naoko repressed a sigh. Obviously she was--at least partially--familiar with Jason's girl-crazy tendencies.

__

"Jason…" Beservor intoned knowingly, his voice slightly reproving.

"Relax, Bes. I'm not gonna use this as a chance for finding a prospective girlfriend," Jason crossed over to the crystal pillars where the remaining Guardbraces rested, and put the one with the white crystal in the center into his pocket.

"Headsup, bro," he said, tossing the other Guardbrace to Ryuji, then turned back to the crystal ball. "Of course, if it just happens to turn out like that, well…I can't exactly help it, y'know?" Jason winked conspiratorially over at Naoko and Ryuji.

"Oh, of course not…" Naoko answered dryly.

"Who, you? No way, Jase." Ryuji was grinning like an idiot.

"Okay, okay…I don't need a ton of bricks to fall on me to know when I'm gettin' teased," Jason tugged on his jacket with a mock look of hurt. Ryuji grinned again, and straightened up, looking over at Beservor's crystal. "So do we bring 'em back here once we find 'em, Bes?"

_"Yes. Hopefully, we will have a chance to explain the situation to them fully and without another incident with our enemies occurring in the process," _Beservor said. He didn't sound too convinced, but if the others noticed, they didn't see fit to comment. Not out loud anyway.

A minute later, the trio emerged from the portal beneath Tokyo Tower, and into the light of the mid-morning sun. As soon as the hidden doorway vanished, crowds of people began milling through the area, as if they were acting on some off-screen cue. Ryuji found himself a little creeped at the way that always seemed to happen. He couldn't help wondering if he'd ever get used to it. "So," he said, "any suggestions?"

"Well, we shouldn't start off by wandering around aimlessly," Naoko replied. "The Guardbraces should do most of the work for us, but we need to narrow the field of search down some."

"Yeah, but how?" Jason asked.

Ryuji thought for a second. "Hey, Naoko…these things're tuned into the elements, right?"

Naoko nodded. "Right. Why?"

"Well, it's just a hunch, really, but…I'm thinking maybe we should start someplace where the element we're looking for is the dominant force in the area. And since we're trying to track down Forestguard, we oughta start someplace with a lot of wooded areas-- like a park or something."

Naoko raised an eyebrow, and Ryuji braced himself for an attack on his manhood or whatever. But instead, Naoko answered, "You know, that's actually a good suggestion. Did you have anywhere specific in mind?"

"Yeah, Ueno Park. It's pretty big, and since it's Monday and mostly everything's closed up until tomorrow, we wouldn't have to worry about a whole bunch of people being around," Ryuji said. "And Bes said that the guys we're looking for were pretty close to the city."

"Makes sense," Jason agreed.

"So it's settled then," Naoko shouldered her purse. "Jason, what about you? Where are you planning on starting?"

"Well…I got a couple of places in mind, but the was one that really stood out, though. A high school building, I think. I went past there the other day and I got a weird vibe from one of the girls I saw.

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "You're checking out _high_ _school_ girls now?" he asked, "Dude, I knew you weren't picky, but _this_…"

"Aw, cut it out, man, I'm serious," Jason told him. "It was strange. I didn't have a chance to really think about it before 'cause Bes called me right after. Remember it was after I showed up at the Bushel, and you just opened up for the morning?"

"And you think this girl you saw might be Airguard?" Naoko asked.

"Maybe," Jason scratched his head. "It's a long shot, I know, but it's the best lead I've got."

"Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose," Naoko admitted. "All right then, we'll go to Ueno Park and see what we can turn up."

"Cool. Let's get goin' then." Jason nodded eagerly. Naoko turned toward her Jeep fishing her keys out of her pocket. Jason was about to do likewise since Ryuji was riding with Naoko, but before he could Ryuji reached out, and tugged on his arm.

"Hey, Jase…" Ryuji asked sheepishly, "we're cool, right? About…you know…last night?"

Jason grinned. "Yeah, man. No worries." He stuck his hand out, and Ryuji took it, relieved. "Listen, Ryu…I know this is still kinda weird and all, but…well…you know it's important, right? We're the only ones who can do this. It's us or nobody, man."

Ryuji sighed. Jason was right, of course. But then he usually was. He still didn't much cared for being thrust into the middle of all this lunacy, but dragging his feet wasn't helping either. And they still had two other unsuspecting souls to track down, and they'd probably feel the same way about having their lives disrupted, sacred duty or no sacred duty. " Yeah, I know it is. But, Jase…it'll be a while before I can really wrap my train of thought around this. I still haven't committed to anything, and I don't know if I'm gonna. If that sounds selfish, I'm sorry. But…"

"Hey, don't worry about it now, man. Let's just go find the rest of our guys before one of those Gargs show up, okay? We'll figure out the rest later." Jason squeezed his friend's shoulder in support.

Ryuji sighed. "Okay. You going to be all right on your own, Jase?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Jason nodded. "Just do me a favor, huh? Try to keep the vocal sparring down to a minimum?" He gestured over to Naoko, who was already halfway across the street, fishing for her keys. "I know she's a straight arrow and all that, but she's cool. Give her a chance, man."

Ryuji sighed. "Okay, okay…I will if she will."

"That's all I'm asking," Jason tugged on his bomber jacket. "You better get goin' before she gets huffy on you again. Seeya later." He punched Ryuji's shoulder and bounded off toward his rental car. Ryuji watched him go, a smile coming over his face. There were times his best friend amazed him; the way he could seemingly bounce back from anything. He wished he had a little of whatever it was Jason had right now. This whole deal had him feeling worn out inside, like he'd aged twenty years in the past two days. And now this whole deal about finding the rest of this legendary team he was part of? 

"Ryuji? Are you coming?" Naoko's call from across the street snapped him back to himself. He turned around and saw her sitting behind the wheel of her jeep with the engine running. She didn't look impatient like he expected, but it was clear she wanted to get going.

"Yeah!" he called back. "I'll be right there! Gomen!"

Ryuji sighed and headed across the street, his sneakers sounding across the pavement. 

In a dark place, a dark being sat on a dark seat of power. He sat in seething silence, violent tendrils of blue energy sparked and writhed around his massive armored frame, mirroring his inner rage. He had a reasonable right to his anger, of course. By all rights, he should've had the bodies of the first two Guardrangers as trophies of his victory by now, but instead that damnable female Ranger had intervened, and gave their reluctant leader time to awaken his powers, and now Mergol, one of his finest warriors was dead. And the secret…the power he coveted above all else was still buried beyond his reach, slumbering restlessly beneath the earth.

They were coming, he knew that. They were coming, and if he didn't have that buried artifact before they got here, he was as good as dead.

He rose, his face contorted in fury. The energy around him rose to a fever pitch, swelling, boiling, threatening to explode. But he forced himself to squelch his inner turmoil as the blistering storm of power cooled and receded. No. Anger was no solution. It was a petty emotion indulged by the weak-minded and the powerless. And he was neither.

No, this time he had a different plan. One that would allow him to finally acquire what he sought and if not destroy, at least delay his enemies so they couldn't interfere. Yes, it would work. One would occupy the Guardrangers, how ever many there ended up being, while the other stole what was needed to acquire the buried power. If his Silicons didn't finish the job first…

"Genac, Garmanda," he said in a threateningly low voice to the darkness in front of his throne, "I have tasks for you to perform…"

"What do you wish of us, Milord?" one of the inhuman voices queried from the darkness beyond their leader's seat of power. There was another figure of considerable size kneeling beside him. But its physical composition was different. It was thin and streamlined; almost…serpentine in its way. A pair of menacing red eyes glowed against the shadows with sinister interest.

"The situation has become…complicated," the leader spoke, his words tinted with barely disguised annoyance. "our enemies have stuck the first blow against our number, but I swear they will not have such fortune a second time. Genac…"

"Yes, Lord," the figure on the left rose to his feet and stepped in the subdued light in front of the leader's throne. He was a tall, imposing being swathed from head to boots in ninja-like robes and light armor colored in deep purple. An array of throwing stars were perched inside the pockets of the belt strapped across his chest, and two pairs of sais held residence on either side of both of his legs.

"With Mergol gone, I entrust you with the task of dealing with these fledgling Guardrangers. If you can eliminate them, by all means, do it. But your primary concern is to draw their attention away from the excavation site where our prize awaits us."

"And my mission, Lord?" an acid slither of a voice asked from the vicinity of the glowing red slits still watching from the darkness.

"the site will be receiving two items of interest to me," the leader replied. "one is a newly developed sonic excavator. It was built by the Terralogical institute for use in locating and unearthing certain metallic ores. The other is an experimental explosive catalyst being developed for us in the final stages of the excavation. I want them both. Procure them by any means necessary."

The thing in the shadows chuckled. "_Any_ means, Milord? Does that include…?" There was a note of hopeful malice in its voice.

The leader sighed, slightly impatient. "If you must. But try not to get carried away."

"Yes, Milord," There was another wicked chuckle as the blood-red eyes in the darkness receded, then faded away. Genac returned his gaze to the leader, barely able to rein in his disgust.

"With all due respect, Lord, I could have accomplished both of your directives. There was no need to entrust one of them to that…barbarian." 

"I have no doubt of that, Genac. But without Mergol, you are the most competent soldier I have for the moment. And Garmanda's…unique qualities are necessary for acquiring what we need. Now go. Time is working against us."

"Yes, Lord," Genac bowed slightly and phased out of sight.

Finally alone, the leader rose from his seat of power, and crossed to the other side of the massive central chamber of the room toward a wall-sized computer console. His armored fingers graced over the console, and the view screen overhead flicked to life, revealing an image of the excavation site on Hokkaido. The workers were still swarming over the area like the mindless ants they were, completely oblivious to the nature of the object of power that slumbered beneath them. If they uncovered it first… 

The leader narrowed his eyes, devilish blue sparks dancing between them. _No_…he thought. _if anyone claims you, my beauty, it will be me. I will **not** be denied…_

The sparks between his eyes burned brighter as he remembered that his enemies were coming…for the buried secret…and for him.

_I will not be denied…_he vowed to the darkness again.

_by anyone…_

Naoko sighed in exasperation. They'd been looking around the colossal expanse of Ueno Park for hours and turned up nothing. The only people they found around this early in the morning were some caretakers, but the braces didn't respond to any of them.

"Maybe it's the wrong time of day to be doing this," Naoko said to Ryuji, who'd stopped to lace up his sneakers.

"No, I don't think so. The Guardbrace thinks he's somewhere around here," Ryuji replied, but added under his breath, "but I still don't know why I'm going along with this."

**__**

Because you promised Jase you would, that's why, Ryuji's subconscious reminded him. _So just suck it up and stop griping._

If Naoko heard him, she said nothing. It was around noon now, and an hour ago people had begun to trickle into the park. Soon it would be filled with people, and finding and having a private word with Forestguard would be almost impossible then. Even though it was Monday, and most of the park's major attractions were closed until Tuesday, it still boasted a sizeable crowd of tourists and locals alike.

As they walked past a copse of trees, though, the emerald crystal embedded inside the Guardbrace began to glow, humming and resonating rapidly. Its proper owner was nearby.

There was a rustling in the bushes beside the path next to them. "What was that?" Naoko asked, her eyes swerving toward the noise.

"Probably just a squirrel. Take it easy, Naoko, the Guardbrace says he's here somewhere."

Naoko didn't look convinced, but followed him as he walked into the trees. They soon found a young man scraping bark off the trees into small containers. The Guardbrace went crazy, and thrummed against Ryuji's hand as he put it away. There was no doubt.

"Excuse me?" Ryuji said. The man stopped what he was doing and turned to look at them, "Can we talk to you for a second, Mister…?"

"Tsuchida. But just call me Tochiro," he said, smiling. He rose to his full height of five feet and ten inches. Roughly about the same age as Ryuji, Tochiro had short brown hair that hung slightly down his forehead and covered his ears on both sides. His eyes were a soft, friendly brown and matched the warm smile he had on his face. "So what can I do for you?"

" Tsuchida-san," Naoko began formally, "we'd like a few moments of your time if you can spare them."

"Sure. But do you mind if I keep working while I listen? I _am_ still on duty, after all," he replied, going back to collecting samples.

Ryuji crouched down next to him, quirking an eyebrow curiously. "What are you doing, anyway?" It was true he was trying to sound friendly because he knew what they were about to say would make them sound like a couple of nuts, but he was finding himself interested in what Tochiro was working on.

"Collecting samples of the plants around the park. Later I'll analyze them to make sure nothing's wrong with them." A horticulturalist…wasn't that just typical of the hero who would get his power from the plants of the Earth?

"So you're a caretaker here?" Ryuji asked.

Tochiro grinned. "Not exactly. Actually, I work in an arboretum in Sendai, but on my days off, I come here and work with the caretakers and help them keep the grounds looking good. I'm kind of a freelance worker in that respect."

"Well, you're pretty damn good at your job then, because the place looks pretty good," Ryuji said with approval. He'd known Tochiro for all of forty-five seconds but Ryuji had found himself liking the guy already. He felt a sort of instant kinship and trust between them that seemed to run unfathomably deep. So much so that Ryuji was finally starting to warm to the possibility that maybe he was this great and legendary warrior everyone kept saying he was.

"Tsuchida-san, there's something we need to give you." Naoko leaned down and plucked the Guardbrace out of Ryuji's pocket and offered it to Tochiro. The glow had faded by now. He took a look at the ornament for a minute, then took it.

"I don't mean to be rude here, but I'm not exactly an authority on jewelry or anything if that's what you wanted to talk to me about."

"No, actually," she said, "We do need your help, and that bracelet is a crucial part of it, but I doubt you're going to have an easy time believing the rest of this."

_Ain't that the truth,_ Ryuji thought.

"This sounds serious," Tochiro said.

"It is. The short of it is that there's an ancient evil walking the Earth, and we need your help in stopping it."

"Nani?" Tochiro asked, looking at them like you'd expect someone to after being told something like that, "If this is someone's idea of a joke, it needs some serious work."

"Tsuchida-san, I assure you we're not joking. This is serious." Naoko told him.

"Matters of life and death usually are." The watchers in the bushes chose this moment to attack.

The gunmetal-gray hide of the beings that had attacked Ryuji in his restaurant the other night were all too familiar. 

"Nanda--?!" Tochiro blurted out as the metal soldiers surrounded them.

"Forgive the unexpected intrusion, Guardrangers," a tall figure in purple said easily as he stepped out of the underbrush, "But I'm on something of a tight schedule, so instead of going indulging in lengthy introductions, I'll simply let my Silicons be about the business of killing the three of you."

Ryuji and Naoko steeled themselves as the stranger in purple vanished. They'd been ambushed, and didn't intend to give up without a fight, but how did they know where the three of them would be? Hopefully Jason wasn't facing the same problems…

Speaking of the surfer-in-question, Jason had followed Beservor's directions to the area of a small high school. The Guardbrace he was to deliver was reacting gently, so he was in the right area but had to go inside and search for Airguard, whoever she might turn out to be. As he tried to keep a low profile while walking the halls, he realized that getting Airguard alone to explain things would be the most difficult. If only Ryuji were here to back him up, he wouldn't be worried about this. He just _knew_ he was going to get teased about this again later, though.

A smartly-dressed man, probably a teacher on his way back from coffee break, bumped into Jason as he turned a corner. They locked eyes for a minute, the teacher shooting Jason a look of extreme irritation before he broke contact and walked away. Jason felt chills run up his back as he looked at those inhuman eyes. It was only for a second, but he felt disturbed for the experience.

A school bell sounded loudly, and students began flooding out of the classrooms, turning the halls into a wall-to-wall mosh pit full of teenagers. Probably the lunch bell he'd just heard. Perfect. How could he possibly find Airguard in all this mess? He didn't have to worry, though, as the bracelet began to blink like crazy and then a girl, paying more attention to a conversation with her friends than where she was going, bumped into him. She looked up to apologize, and they both froze in surprise. It was the girl he'd taken notice of the other day. And the bracelet went silent as she stood there. It was Airguard.

"Ooh! Gomen!" She stumbled out, flustered and slightly red in the face with embarrassment. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't see you there."

"S'okay, no problem," He smiled at her. "Say, uh…do you remember me by any chance?"

The girl smiled back at him. "Of course I do. I saw you the other day. Can't forget a face like yours."

"Is this the guy that's been stalking you, Miaka?" one of the girls she'd been talking to asked, a malicious curl to her lips.

She looked over at the other girl behind her with a scowl of irritation that Jason thought looked completely out of place on her face. "He isn't _stalking _me, Noremi. I just saw him across the street on the way to school a couple of days ago," Miaka, the girl in front of Jason, replied. "Gomen," she said, turning back to Jason. "Some of my friends tend to be a little paranoid about the opposite sex..."

"Don't worry about it. It's cool. Listen…can I talk to you for a little while? It's really important."  
Miaka looked at him. Normally she, like any girl with sense, would've gotten as far away as quickly as possible, but this felt different. There was something about this guy, something she knew she could trust. So why not? "Okay," she said.

She led him to the roof, which was empty since the students were all in the open field in front of the school eating and gossiping. She turned to face Jason with her back against the fence around the edge of the building, "So, what's all this about? Have I won some kind of contest?"

"Not exactly," Jason tossed the Guardbrace to her, "I'm here to give you that."

Miaka studied the Guardbrace, turning it upside down and right side up before she brought her eyes back to meet Jason's. "It's a little early in the relationship to be giving out gifts, isn't it?" she asked.

Jason cleared his throat, his face on fire. He could practically hear Ryuji ribbing him now. "Listen, let's not go there, okay? I'm here because a group I'm a part of needs your help. That's what the bracelet's for."

"Oh?" Miaka wasn't sure she was buying this, but wanted to hear it out anyway. It'd probably make for an interesting story to tell her girlfriends.

"I know you won't believe this," Jason started. "But before I say anything else, I want to ask you this…you know about sentai, right?"

"Are you kidding?" Miaka asked. "You'd have to be from another planet--or another country, at least--not to know what sentai are. They're an institution around here. New ones are popping up all the time."

Jason nodded, slightly relieved. "Okay, cool, so maybe you _will_ believe this. See, both of us are reincarnations of a sentai team who saved the world thousands of years ago. But the bad guys we fought before came back, so we're needed again."

Miaka stared at him. "So you're saying _I'm _part of some prehistoric sentai team?"

"Actually, yeah, that's what I'm saying." 

"Well, so where is this enemy we're supposed to be fighting?" Miaka queried. She was getting caught up in the story in spite of herself.

"We don't know exactly. But you know those murders that happened a few nights ago? It was them," Jason explained. "Listen, I know how nuts this all sounds, but I swear it's all true. Just give me a chance to prove it to you, okay? Please?"

"I don't know," Miaka said, trying not to let how weird this was get to her, "I mean, it's the middle of the school day and all, and I have to meet my vocal coach afterwards--"

"Vocal coach?" Jason scratched his head. "You're a singer?"

"Not yet," Miaka answered with both modesty and pride, "but I'm getting there."

"Excuse me."

The two of them turned to see the man who had bumped into Jason in the hall and a group of other people in suits, "Kanzuki-san, who is this man?"

"Just a friend who came to drop off my lunch, sensei," she said quickly.

"I see," the man replied, just as his face started to melt off. Jason and Miaka just stood there in horror as the group in front of them changed into a gang of the metal creatures that had attacked Jason and Ryuji before, and an imposing figure in purple ninja garb. "Silicons, attack!" he barked. The metal creatures began swarming towards the two of them.

"Aw, MAN…!" Jason grouched in annoyance. "Why me?"

"FIRE FOCUS!"

"EARTH FOCUS!"

Red and yellow energy danced and wove themselves from beneath both Ryuji and Naoko and in the space of a few seconds, they were swiftly transformed into uniform.

"How did they know we were here?" Fireguard asked in consternation, knocking a Silicon away.

"This is hardly the time to be asking that!" Earthguard replied loudly as she swerved into the right and then caved in a Silicon's chest with a kick.

Fireguard ignored her and went into a frenzy trying to protect Tochiro. One came at him with a sword, and an influence came over him. He opened his mouth to speak, his voice and words carrying power and the roar of a great fire unleashed.

"**DRAGON STEEL!**"A plume of red flame ignited into Ryuji's hand, lancing outward, and taking on a solid form In seconds, an unearthly-looking silver-edged katana four feet long with a crimson and gold trimmed hilt appeared in his hands. With one swing he literally disarmed his opponent and sliced another in two. It was only then he realized Tochiro had been trying to say something to him the whole time.

"How do I work this thing???"

Fireguard slapped himself on the forehead. He should've gotten him into this in the first place, "Say 'Forest Focus!'" he yelled.

Tochiro nodded and raised the Guardbrace, "FOREST FOCUS!" A flare of emerald light, followed by a blizzard of glowing green leaves burst out of the ground and swarmed upwards covering Tochiro in the outburst, and a moment later he was decked out in a brilliant green and white uniform and gorilla-styled helmet with silver trim. In an instant, Tochiro's senses expanded, and he felt a connection to the forest around him, as if the trees and the grass were pouring strength and new awareness into his body and mind. Forestguard was reborn!

An influence fell over him as it had Fireguard as Forestguard's voice took on the same unearthly echo as his new friend's. "**GORILLA VINE!"** At those spoken words, a hefty green metal gauntlet appeared on his arm. He swung it at a Silicon charging at him, and a thick cable lashed out and separated head from shoulders. He turned toward the rest of the battle and with skill he never knew he was capable of, flipped, kicked and punched, tearing his way through three Silicons. "Sugoi! I've never even been in a fight!"

**"GRIZZLY CLAWS!" **Earthguard intoned, driving her fingers deep into the grass beneath her. Dirt and stone swarmed over her hands, covering them in an instant, then solidifying into box-like shapes up to her wrist. Earthguard yanked them up over her head, and slammed them together sending earthen debris flying everywhere, revealing a pair nasty-looking gauntlets with razor-sharp claws colored in yellow and silver, that looked like something a futuristic boxer would fight with. She swung at a Silicon hard with both hands took a sizeable chunk out of his torso. There hadn't seemed to be that many at the start, but more and more seemed to come with every moment…

Jason raised his Guardbrace and called out, awakening its power, "WATER FOCUS!" A torrent of azure-hued energy heralded his elemental power's summoning, and once gain he wore his bright blue and white uniform, and took a fighting position. A Silicon swiped at him with knife-like fingers. He darted to the side and snap-kicked the thing down. Another swung a hefty mace at his head, but he didn't dodge that in time and went sprawling in a rush of sparks. They skittered closer to finish the job.

Waterguard rolled on his back, then flipped to his feet but had at least a dozen Silicons surrounding him and swinging their weapons at him. Desperately, he called out, "Miaka! Say 'Air Focus!'"

She didn't waste a second. "AIR FOCUS!" A rush of wind and white light beneath her, blasting the Silicons across the roof and giving Waterguard a minute to jump to safety. Waterguard took the chance to look at Miaka, who was floating a few feet above the rooftop, surrounded by the tempest of white that swallowed her whole in one minute, then vanished completely , leaving her resplendent in her white and silver Guardsuit and hawk-shaped helmet.

"Kami-sama…" she breathed, in awe of the power she now felt. It felt like the air surging around her was…singing. But the euphoria she felt faded quickly as Waterguard called her back to reality.

"Hey, I'm all for admiring beautiful girls, but now's really not the time! "ORCA BRAND!" he yelled as the Silicons recovered and attacked, Genac right behind them. A burst of water erupted out of his hand and took shape, a blocky-looking, but fearsome rod-like weapon appeared in Waterguard's hand at the call for it. Genac produced a metal ball out of nowhere and threw it at the Guardrangers' feet. It exploded, hurling them off the roof of the school and several stories to the ground below. Reacting on pure instinct, Airguard crossed her arms in front of herself, the air around her creating an powerful updraft that kept her from falling any further. Waterguard, however didn't fare as well, landing hard on the concrete ground waiting for him, landing with so much force, the impact smashed his outline in the ground. He writhed in agony as his Guardsuit sparked violently in response. The students in the field looked up at the scene before them in acute surprise. Most fled, some stayed to see what was going on.

Dizzily, Waterguard raised his wrist to his mouth, pain spiking through everything he could feel and rasped out, "Ryuji…man…I could use a little backup about now…!"

Forestguard swerved around in a blur of motion, and snapped his Gorilla Vine, now sporting a lethal array of sharp thorn-like spikes, like a whip again, wrapping around a Silicon's waist. He tugged hard on the cable and tightened until he tore it in half. At that moment the others finished with their opponents as well.

Fireguard came up to his new teammate who was hunched over slightly, his hands braced on his knees trying to get his breath back. "Good job," he said, patting Forestguard on the back. "It's weird, though; that wasn't as tough as I thought it would be," Fireguard remarked, watching as the lifeless Silicons and their pieces turned to dust and blew away.

"No, it certainly wasn't. Nothing about this felt right," Earthguard replied, crossing her arms in thought.

"Nandatto?" Forestguard asked. "It didn't feel right how?"

"These were hit-and-run tactics if ever I've seen them. A ploy of some kind, I'd say. It was meant to keep us busy, while--" Earthguard stopped, trailing off in mid-sentence.

"Oh no…Jase…" Fireguard said, realizing what she meant even before Waterguard's call for help reached them.

"What're we gonna do?" he asked anxiously, "We're at least half a mile away! We'll never get there in time!"

_"Despair not, Fireguard. I have the answer,"_ Beservor's voice echoed in their heads.

"Well, don't just leave me hanging, spit it out already!" Fireguard's words were quickly lost to the rumble of earth as the ground under his boots began to tremor and vibrate. About twenty feet away, an expanding pool of white light appeared, and a powerful blast of howling wind washed over the area.

"Bes, what's...what _is_ this??" Fireguard

"I have opened a wind tunnel to take you to Waterguard and Airguard's whereabouts. Hurry." 

"A wind tunnel??"

"Yes, a wind tunnel," Earthguard said, impatiently, "It's how I got back into town so quickly this morning. And we can get anywhere we need to in a matter of minutes. Now let's _go!_"

Fireguard and Earthguard quickly moved to enter the tunnel. Forestguard, however, seemed to be rooted to the spot.

"Hey! My friend's getting killed, you coming?" Fireguard said impatiently.

"Who…_who_ was _that_?" Forestguard blurted

"I'll tell you later! Now are you with us or not?!" Fireguard stopped himself, realizing how desperate and angry he must've sounded. Swallowing it all back, he said to Forestguard, "Listen, I don't have time to get into the details, but my best friend's in trouble, and I have to get to him before it's too late. I need all the help I can get. Onegai…"

Forestguard nodded. "Alright, I'm with you. You were right about the legendary hero thing, and now I'm hearing voices and fighting monsters. Either I'm going crazy or I'll be a living legend. And I don't want to do either by myself. I don't know _how_ I'm going to explain this to my boss, though." 

Fireguard clapped his new friend on the shoulder in gratitude. "Arigato. Let's go, guys!" And with that, Fireguard leaped into the pool of light, Earthguard and Forestguard following suit, but with far more restraint, which closed behind them, and the surging air currents carried them away.

The late morning glared down harshly over Hokkaido, promising unpleasant increases in heat for the afternoon shift working long hours on the dig site. Unbeknownst to the crew, however, there was an unwelcome visitor in their midst, darting around the tents and crates of the expedition the Terralogical Institute had sent to discover what the origin of the buried object was. Garmanda kept to the few shadows and dark corners that the tents provided, which wasn't much given the time of day. So far the mortals here were ignorant of his presence, with the exception of three teenage boys, who'd had the bad luck of choosing today of all days to play hooky from school. It had been quite a while since he'd killed anything worthy of the effort it took to hunt down, and he was still reveling in his recent kills. The still-echoing sounds of the boys' dying screams reverbed in his mind, thrilling him to the core of his dark, slithering soul.

_Amazing how a little wanton carnage improves one's state of mind, _Garmanda thought wryly as he slithered around another liter of open crates and discarded takeout bags from some place called the Golden Bushel. But none of that mattered now. Finding the sonic excavator and the explosive catalyst was the important thing here. 

The noisy expulsion of a truck's exhaust brought Garmanda's attention sharply towards the front of his makeshift hiding place. Not far away, an eighteen-wheeler pulled into the site and came to a stop near the edge of the excavation area where the majority of the digging was taking place. Serpentine eyes narrowed as some of the workers walked over to the truck, while as the same time the driver disembarked from the vehicle's other side, and talked to one of the men one near the site perimeter--one of the supervisors, Garmanda surmised. The workers set about removing the canvas and ropes that held the truck's cargo securely in place, noticing how much care was being taken in handling it. But it wasn't until the canvas was entirely removed from the vehicle that Garmanda saw the reason why.

There were two crates sitting there. The first one, long, large, and rectangular took up most of the space. But it was the second one that caught the inhuman spy's attention. Because printed diagonally across the crate's right side in unmistakably bright red letter were the words : **CAUTION: EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL-HANDLE WITH CARE .** The explosive catalyst, no doubt. So logic suggested that the larger crate was the one that housed the sonic excavator.

But how to go about getting it? He could always just storm in and take it, of course. It was close to noon, and there were only a scant few workers here now, in addition to the driver of the truck and the supervisor. Hardly a match for him. But the leader _had_ instructed him not to get "carried away," so to speak. But then he'd also ordered that the sonic excavator and the catalyst be obtained by any means necessary. And while spying had always been Garmanda's specialty, well…

Violence was his first love.

_Oh, well…_Garmanda chuckled mentally, flexing his fingers out in front of his face, razor-sharp claws lengthening to murderous proportions.

_Back to basics…_

"Pitiful," Genac snorted in the direction of Waterguard's body lying sprawled out on the ground as he landed flawlessly with almost no effort. The gang of Silicons had landed on their feet with a horrendous clatter. "It seems the legend of the unconquerable Guardrangers was just that--a legend." The assassin sounded deeply disappointed with the young Ranger's performance thus far. Not that Waterguard cared at the moment seeing as how his primary concern right now was staying alive. He tried to push himself upright, but his chest and his ribcage took the most inopportune moment to start a protest march of pain inside him. He sagged back against the pavement, groaning as the ninja produced a handful of throwing stars. "So much for my hopes for an honorable battle," he said as took aim at Waterguard's helpless body still writhing on the ground and threw.

Then a voice shouted from the side: "HAWK WIND GUARDIAN!" The air around Waterguard swelled and surged outward in an expanding wall, deflecting and scattering the razor-sharp projectiles away harmlessly. Genac glared in disbelief as Airguard approached from behind Waterguard, whispers of white light and rushing air dancing between her outstretched fingers.

__

Wow… Waterguard thought, grinning appreciatively from under his helmet. _She's only been a Guardranger for a couple of minutes, and she threw out an E-Factor already…and a defensive one, too. Not bad at all._

"Honorable, huh?" She replied mockingly. "I don't see anything honorable in beating the stuffing out of someone who can't fight back."

"Are you saying you can do better, little girl?" Genac sounded amused.

Airguard narrowed her eyes from behind her helmet's visor, her voice changing as she spoke, strange, but somehow familiar words forming in her mind. "HAWKWING!"

The air around her howled in answer as a spiral of light flared against her open palm, glowing brightly as it rapidly took shape. In seconds, a metallic white longbow crafted in the image of a bird of prey's open wingspan with silver trim and highlighting appeared. She closed her fist around the handle and pulled back on the bowstring instinctively, a white metal arrow appearing out of nowhere, and aimed right in Genac's surprised, but intrigued face.

"Let's find out, shall we?" she dared.

Genac bowed in mock salute and steeled himself. Airguard hesitated. This wasn't a game, this was a real, dangerous monster. If she blew this she might not have a chance to regret it. But the Silicon gang had hauled Waterguard to his feet, and he looked to be in too much pain to fight back.

_Oh well, take out the head and the body goes with it_, she thought, quickly aiming and firing at Genac's head. There was a sound of the air being shorn in two as the arrow cut through it, then silence. No wind in the trees, no horns honking out in the street, none of the people who'd been brave enough to stay when this gang of weird people fell out of the sky even blinked.

Genac had caught the arrow. With his thumb he snapped the shaft in two, breaking the blanket of silence, and laughed. A hateful, triumphant laugh.

"Oh…" Airguard muttered, chagrined and extremely grateful the helmet on her head concealed the surprise plastered across her face. "Oh, boy…"

"Bah! So much for the great scourge of the Garganstah Empire!" With a flick of his thumb his sword was sent leaping from its scabbard and into his waiting hand. Airguard seemed too shocked to move, such was the terrible majesty of her foe, and Waterguard futilely struggled in the grip of his captors, "It seems you weren't worth all this fuss after all." He raised his weapon high to end the young heroine's shock.

As the blade arced toward her neck, Airguard had a moment that seemed to last forever. How could this happen to her? She was only fifteen, for Heaven's sake, and in the last ten minutes she'd inherited a supernatural power and learned she was the reincarnation of a legendary warrior. And now she was going to go out just like that? So soon after having her life changed forever? So many things she'd wanted to do, so many things she'd wanted to feel. And in another tenth of a second she'd never feel anything again.

But instinct saved her again. Airguard had been terrified of this powerful ninja-monster, but almost as if it was a reflex she raised the Hawkwing and parried the strike in a flurry of sparks. Genac was more than a little surprised, but recovered quickly and began swiping violently at Airguard, and she was hard-pressed to hold him back.

The Silicons holding Waterguard didn't recover from their surprise as quickly as their master, though, and he tore free of their grasp. With one movement he drew his Eternablade and sent it flying into Genac's shoulder. But if he was expecting a big reaction, none came. Genac gave an almost inaudible hiss of pain, and reached behind him and pulled the blade out.

"It'll take more than the two of you have to spell my end," he growled. Genac hurled a pair of his bombs in opposite directions, hitting both Guardrangers dead-on and knocking them for a ferocious loop. The Silicons moved in to finish them off.

But then there was a rumbling sound, faint at first and then growing louder, and all of a sudden the ground erupted and three colorfully-clad figures, still riding the momentum of the air currents that had carried them here, rocketed out of the tunnel and slammed into the Silicons. With a twinge of irritation and fear, Genac recognized him. His advantage was gone. Now he faced the entire team of Guardrangers.

Earthguard and Forestguard hurled themselves at Genac, driving him back with their vicious strikes. Fireguard turned his attention to the Silicons, gathering all his power, then releasing it in a powerful E-Factor attack.

**"DRAGON HELLRISER!"** He swung his blade hard and upward at the gang of metallic grunts, a burning pillar of red energy leaping outward and shattering them like glass. With that nuisance dispatched, he hauled Air and Waterguard to their feet.

"Brother, I can't leave you alone for five minutes without some butt-ugly Kami-knows-what getting on your back, can I?" Fireguard scolded his teammate in blue.

"Aw, lay off, willya?" Waterguard griped. "Do you have any idea what my last half hour's been like? Besides, I found her, didn't I?" 

"Yeah, you did, didn't you?" Fireguard patted his friend's shoulder, then moved to help Airguard, who was struggling to her feet, "Konichiwa. Listen, I'd love to make introductions but I think our friends need some help. Are you two in any shape to fight?"

Waterguard nodded. "I'm cool. Miaka?"

"Well, I've certainly felt better, but I think I'm in just the right mood to dish up a little payback," Airguard said, leaning on the Hawkwing for support. There was no time to debate it, as Genac had found an opening and knocked Forestguard and Earthguard back with a swipe of his sword.

"Right, let's do this," Fireguard leveled the Dragon Steel at Genac and charged, Airguard and Waterguard right behind him. The razor-sharp blade stabbed deep into the monster's shoulder, and though he refused to show any sign of pain, Genac knew his time had come. But he would die as he lived, as a warrior.

The ninja pulled Fireguard's sword out of his shoulder and slapped him to the side with his own, and hurled a pair of shuriken at the charging Airguard and Waterguard. They were ready this time, though, and blocked with their weapons before slamming the Orca Brand--now in battlerod mode-- and Hawkwing into him.

"Say goodbye, Ninja Boy," Waterguard growled, concentrating his power into a churning vortex of blue energy and water vapor into his trident. **"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!"** The surge of watery destruction roared outward and slammed into Genac like an out-of-control riptide and sent him flying thirty feet through the air with it. Airguard quickly but carefully aimed her bow, notched another arrow, and let it fly. Genac saw it coming, and did nothing to stop it. The shaft entered his chest, and sparks of energy exploded from the wound as his energy left him, and he keeled over. His body shattered as it hit the ground.

"Yeesh, that guy was Mergol times five," Waterguard panted, "I hope the rest aren't as much trouble."

Earthguard, however, picked up one of the shards that been part of the monster not a moment ago, "Strange…his body's made of some kind of metal."

"Wait a minute--he was a robot?" Forestguard asked, confused.

"No, there's no parts…just a shell. Inanimate matter given life through some kind of energy transfusion."

"Nanda? But how's that possible?"

"Kami-sama, listen to yourself," Earthguard retorted. "Every one of us is a reincarnated warrior from thousands of years ago with supernatural powers. Wouldn't you be willing to accept a lot of things you'd think were implausible otherwise?"

"Hey, take it easy," Waterguard said quickly, before this got out of hand, "we kicked the bad guy's butt and got the rest of the team together. I'd say mission accomplished."

The others were glad to hear that. All of them were sore and achy from battling Genac and the Silicons, and Air and Forest were still struggling with the enormity of everything they had learned and see, and wondering if it was all real.

_"Rangers…I know this is not what you expected to hear,_" Beservor's voice sounded in their minds, through a supernatural call only they could hear, _"but I've sensed another monster. He's up to some kind of trouble where Earthguard's group is doing their work…"_ He trailed off, but the Guardrangers knew what they had to do.

"Open a tunnel for us, Bes. We're on our way," Fireguard replied. The ground rumbled slightly as an opening into the wind tunnels beneath. "From one battle to another…you two ready?" he addressed Air and Forestguard.

The two newcomers looked at each other, then turned to Fireguard and nodded. "It's what we were meant for," Forestguard said. The five of them leapt into the yawning orifice in the ground, and moments later it sealed without a trace.

Garmanda had so been looking forward to killing the people staying in this camp before he stole the equipment he needed, but it was not to be. They were more alert than those teenagers had been, and ran for the hills the moment he jumped out of hiding. Loathe as he was to pass up the chance for a killing or two, his master would not be pleased if he did not get what he was sent here for. He went over to the large crate with the warning label and pried it open with one super-strong tentacle. Inside were a bunch of carefully packed vials of pink fluid. Now what was he supposed to do with them again? Oh yes…

He unstoppered one vial, and poured the contents down his throat. It tingled for a minute as it settled in. Then he took aim at a tent sheltering some seismographic equipment and spat.

It had exactly the effect his master had said; the tent and everything inside it exploded violently as his expectoration hit it. The mix of chemicals in his body and the catalyst produced a powerful reaction indeed…Oh, the carnage he could inflict with this kind of power! Garmanda's cruel little mind bubbled at the possibilities.

But he was here to find another weapon, or potential weapon, as well. This was easier to find, though: a large box with a parabolic dish affixed to it, and mounted on a tripod. It clearly said "sonic excavator" on the side. He coiled a tentacle around it and pulled it free.

As he tried to figure out the controls, Garmanda hoped slightly that Genac wouldn't succeed in his job, that he'd get a crack at the Guardrangers. He was twice the warrior Genac was, after all. Why, if they were here right now--

And suddenly five streaks of color came flying through the air toward him. They landed a few meters away and became the Guardrangers, who'd had to run here since something seemed to be blocking the tunnel they'd used for transit. And they had to stop this monster from getting it.

They took a step back in wariness and revulsion at Garmanda. He was a six-foot tall serpentine creature, with green tentacle arms and legs and the face of a killer snake. Deadly green venom dripped from his fangs, each almost a foot long.

"You must be the Guardrangers," he hissed.

"You must be today's special," Waterguard replied, whisking out the Orca Brand and leaping into the air at the monster. But the rangers were all weakened from their previous battles, and Garmanda had completely fresh legs. He lashed out with a powerful tentacle and knocked the blue hero out of the air.

The others helped Waterguard to his feet, but as they did Garmanda aimed the sonic excavator at the ground where they were standing and switched it on. The intense sonic waves rocked and cracked the ground, and jostled the Guardrangers horribly before Garmanda spat a glob of his volatile venom, and it exploded in their midst and the five rangers went flying as the explosion dug a ten-foot crater in the weakened ground where they'd been standing.

Airguard got to her feet and aimed the Hawkwing at Garmanda's slender torso and fired, but he nimbly slithered to the side and her arrow went rocketing past. Earthguard attacked from the side but Garmanda aimed the sonic excavator at her and switched it on; the sonic bombardment it generated could shatter solid rock, and did even worse to her. Genac hadn't gone easy on her, and as she cried out she felt as if she was being torn apart by the sonic waves.

Forestguard flung the Gorilla Vine at Garmanda, wrapping around his tentacle-arm, but the monster laughed and wrenched it away, flinging Forestguard to the ground. Garmanda laughed a malicious, hissing laugh at their torment.

But Fireguard managed to get through in this moment of distraction, kicking the sonic excavator away and hacking off a tentacle-arm with his sword. He kicked Garmanda down the slope he was standing on before the monster could retaliate.

"Daijoubu?" he asked Earthguard, gently lifting her to her feet. She looked absolutely terrible, but managed to nod her head. None of them was going to last much longer, but a long-forgotten bit of information was beginning to stir in Fireguard's head as Garmanda managed to get back to the top of the hill he'd fallen down.

Fireguard drew his Eternablade, "Guys, put your swords in with mine, quick." I know what to do about Scaleface over there." They seemed to be remembering the same thing he was, even the two new arrivals, and held their Eternablades against Fireguard's. A shock of power went through the five of them, and then it happened.

Their elemental energies grew as they gathered, focused where their swords touched, into a glowing sphere of fantastic power that seemed to glow with every color in the spectrum.

"**_ETERNITY DRIVE_**!" the group called out simultaneously, the knowledge completely resurfaced. And before Garmanda could do anything they vaulted the energy globe toward him with the blades of their swords. Realizing he was staring death in the face he spat his explosive venom at the sphere, but it merely produced a spark of collision and it hurtled toward him. There almost seemed to be an ironic grin on Garmanda's serpentine lips the split-second before the ball smashed into him and exploded, sending bits of charred snake hide flying everywhere.

They all stood there for a long, quiet moment. The new arrivals gaping at what they had just done, Earthguard wondering how her group would explain what had happened here to the boss.

"Not bad for your first day, huh?" Waterguard said to Airguard with a grin. 

She just shook her head. "Compared to what, exactly? Mass murder?"

By the time the members of the organization were brave enough to return, the Guardrangers had gone.

"So what do you think?" Jason asked as he showed Miaka and Tochiro around the Earth Sanctum. Now that the battle was over he was all grins and playfulness again, his arms around the both of them, play the makeshift role of tour guide. They were receiving it all quite well, even the talking crystal ball that greeted them like it had known them for ages.

"Did we really fight evil thousands of years ago?" Miaka asked Beservor slowly, knowing it seemed impossible but wanting to believe.

"Indeed, Airguard. And you have been reborn to fight evil again today," he replied, a faint emotional quaver in his magical voice, glad as he was to see his old charges again.

Tochiro said nothing. He just walked around the cavernous room, drinking in all the natural energy for which the Earth Sanctum was a gathering place. This would have been a huge experience for anyone, but for someone with the connection to nature he had, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

"What do you think of the new recruits?" Naoko asked Ryuji, as they sat at the large meeting table.

"I think that if today was any indication, you'll need them."

"So you're _still_ not making a commitment." Naoko couldn't find it in herself to be surprised.

"Nope. I've got a _career_, sweetheart," he said, and was surprised when he found himself making an effort not to sound overly sarcastic to her.

"Ryuji, if you didn't learn today, you'll learn soon how we won't be able to get by without every Guardranger," and Naoko surprised herself when she realized she was trying not to sound overly much like a scolding mother to him.

The Guardrangers had won a pair of victories this day, but many more difficult battles remained to be faced. They would need to learn to rely on each other and sharpen their skills if they were to succeed, but for now rest and recovery were the orders of the day.

And in the shadows, a dark soul watched, and waited, for his chance to strike again…


	3. Episode 3: Soul of Fire Awakens! Hellsca...

****

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 3: Soul of Fire Awakens! Hellscar Rises!

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

The day started out a lot like most others at the Golden Bushel. Ryuji showed up bright and early to unlock the doors and turn on the lights while he waited for the rest of his staff to show up. A few people showed up and bought something to eat on the way to work, as usual. The others joked and talked about the latest developments in their relationships, and Ryuji didn't think anything odd could happen that day.

He should've known better.

Ryuji wasn't just a normal chef, working himself down to the bone to make his restaurant successful, he was actually Fireguard, a member of the Eternal Sentai Guardranger. They were a group of warriors with special powers drawn from the elements of nature. But whether he would eventually decide to stay with them, he wasn't sure yet.

Sure, he'd liked all the power he felt as Fireguard. But it wasn't a game, he knew that. He could easily run into a foe stronger than he and get himself killed. And he had a real life to think about, after all.

"Yo, Ryuji," one of the chefs called into his office around lunchtime, "There's two customers out front who are demanding to talk to you."

Ryuji quirked an eyebrow. "What about? The ramen overcooked or something?" he asked.

"No, it's not that…But they _are_ getting pretty insistent…"

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming." Ryuji got up and walked out of the office where he was going over some invoices and through the kitchen, and out into the dining area where two official-looking men in suits, one gray, one brown, were sitting at the counter and looking at him intently. "Are you gentlemen the customers demanding to see the management?"

"Yes, we'd like to know who provides the recipes for this establishment," the man in brown said.

"That would be me, sir. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, it's more of a matter of what we can do for you. First, the food you prepare here is superb. Second, we're publishers."

Ryuji blinked. "Nani?"

"Would you consider writing us a recipe book? I can guarantee it'll a best seller, not to mention drive up business for the restaurant," the man in the brown suit said.

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "Are you guys serious? Look, sir, I'm trying hard to make this place work. I've had a lot on my mind, though, and--"

"Sakamoto-san," the man in the gray suit said, "we _are_ serious. This little place is far more popular than you realize. Perhaps you've never really noticed before, but take a look around."

Ryuji did. Every seat in the place was filled. The sidewalk outside was crowded with people who were standing and eating the food they'd bought at the Golden Bushel because there was no place left to sit. But none of them looked like they minded, as they stood around, talked and laughed, all the while dropping food from the Golden Bushel's kitchen into their mouths. No, he had never realized this much activity was happening on his premises before.

Ever since he'd started the place a few years ago, Ryuji had dreamed of turning it into something bigger than a tiny restaurant on a street filled with dozens of others. But it was hard to get noticed in a city as big as Tokyo, and as hard as he tried, Ryuji was only making a fair profit from the Golden Bushel. But from the scene around him, perhaps his culinary expertise had more admirers than he'd thought…

The man in the gray suit pulled his briefcase off the floor, set it on the counter in front of him and opened it. He reached inside and handed Ryuji a business card. "Sakamoto-san, we have to get back to work now, but please consider our offer. You won't regret it." With that, the two of them rose and walked out the door. Ryuji just stood there for a long minute wondering at what had just happened to him.

Alarms sounded and people fled in terror as a thief of the most uncommon variety smashed his way into a jewelry store, loaded all the kiosks into an impossibly spacious bag, and then ran back into the streets to make his getaway. Just for fun he exhaled a cloud of flame that engulfed a car driving toward him amidst the panic, then jumped over it with a manic cackle and continued to dash way.

"Yo, horn head!" someone called out above the panic. The thief turned and looked in annoyance. Facing him were four of the Guardrangers.

Fitting, since the thief wasn't a man. He had scaly red skin, a pair of horns sprouting from his forehead as long as a person's forearm and malicious, beady eyes. And as they drew their Eternablades from their hip sheathes, he reared his head back and spewed out a jet of flame straight at them. The four Rangers were sent flying in a powerful shockwave of sparks.

Earthguard leaped to her feet and smashed her fist into the monster's chin, sparks exploding from the Shock Knuckles built into her gloves, but he was unfazed. Forestguard charged with his Eternablade to attack in close quarters, but the monster unsoldered his sack and opened it at them, and a flurry of cannonballs flew out that exploded as they hit the Guardrangers. They regrouped and charged, but he laughed and belched a blast of searing flame at them. The Guardrangers were driven to the ground.

Waterguard called out to his ally with the ethereal bond they shared, _"Ryu, we're fighting a Garganstah monster, and we could really use some help!"_

Ryuji was sitting in his office, going over the offer the men had made him. He was about to pick up his phone and call when he heard Waterguard's call echoing in his mind.

The effect shook him with its surprise and urgency, _"Ryu, we're fighting a Garganstah monster, and we could really use some help!"_

"God help me…" Ryuji grumbled, then returned the mental call. He and the others had only recently discovered this ability, and he was still getting used to it. "_Why now, Jase? I'm right in the middle of something important here!"_

"Stopping them IS important! Get your butt over here, man! We're gettin' stomped on here!"

Ryuji sighed and raised his Guardbrace, the ornament that allowed him to harness the might of flame, and called out, "FIRE FOCUS!" The effect was immediate, and dramatic as it had always been. A wave of crimson power erupted beneath him, and swirled around his body, garbing him in his Guardsuit and helmet. A glowing white tunnel of light and raging wind opened outside his office window, Fireguard jumped in and a moment later was gone.

The wind tunnels beneath the ground were something amazing. Wherever the Guardrangers were when they needed to get somewhere fast, a tunnel that could take them there was right under their feet. It was a little disconcerting to be blown along at a speed and velocity that would leave the fastest car in the dust at first, but Fireguard and the others were starting to rely on it. Almost as soon as he had entered, the roof cracked open and he was catapulted onto the street, where the monster was bashing around Fireguard's teammates. He managed to catch Earthguard out of the air as she went flying from one of the monster's attacks.

"Arigato," she said, feeling a little odd cradled in Fireguard's arms like she was. "What took you so long?"

"Gomen, it took me ten whole seconds to get all the way here from my office." He was getting a weird feeling in his throat as he held her.

"I…think we should deal with the problem at hand, don't you?" she asked.

"Nani? Oh. Right." Fireguard stumbled out. There was a nervous flutter in the pit of his stomach that started as soon as Earthguard had thanked him for snatching her out of harm's way. Why was that?

Another explosion erupted and the other three yelled various calls of exasperation at them. A little reluctantly, which he later realized surprised him, Fireguard set her down, and summoned his Dragon Steel in a flare or red light. And Earthguard placed her hands on the cement beneath her as it quickly shifted over her hands, covering them in a cocoon of stone, then smashed them together, revealing her fearsome Grizzly Claws underneath. They charged.

The monster belched out another wave of fire from his mouth. Earthguard was driven back by the heat, but Fireguard just kept going, tongues of flame licking superheated trails across his body. But it only served to fuel him, since was the lifeblood of his power. Fireguard came charging out of the inferno and smoke and jumped at the monster, raising his sword high and preparing to bring it down on the creature's neck.

"What?!" the thing bellowed in disbelief as Fireguard plummeted down on him.

Fireguard grinned beneath his helmet. For some weird reason he was enjoying this, even though he hadn't wanted to be here at all. "You're gonna have to do better than that, ugly!" he said defiantly, "It's hotter than that in my kitchen!" He swung the Dragon Steel at the monster's scaly neck.

Unfortunately, the monster was fast as well as dangerous, and ducked out of the way at the last second. The Dragon Steel had shorn off one of his horns, but otherwise he was unharmed.

"Damn you!" the monster gasped, finally realizing that maybe these costumed fools were a threat after all, and backed off. Fireguard pressed his attack. The monster spewed more fire, but Fireguard just raised his sword and drew the deadly cloud into it. Then he swung the blade through the air, and a blinding spear of red light lanced out and smashed into the monster, igniting a blizzard of sparks. Moving quickly, the monster withdrew a ball of some kind of stone from inside the sack over his shoulder, and dashed it on the ground. Before the Rangers could move in to stop him, a cloud of smoke burst from the ball. By the time they could see again, the monster had vanished completely.

Waterguard clapped Fireguard on the shoulder, "Nice going, man. I guess you scared it off. What the heck were you two doing back there, anyways?" He jerked his thumb toward Earthguard, who was standing off to the side.

"Who? Me and Earthguard? I was catching her so she didn't get herself hurt."

"Yeah…right." Waterguard drawled.

Fireguard huffed, his irritation coming back. "Dude, you called me right in the middle of something important. You couldn't have handled that fire-breathing bruiser without me? One less Ranger?"

Waterguard's eyes widened behind his visor, then he reached out and walloped Fireguard across the side of his helmet.

"_Jase! Nan desu ka???_" he asked, rubbing his head irritably.

"Geez, how dense are you? You saw it for yourself, man!" Waterguard poked him in the chest, "That flame breath of his was too much for anybody but Fireguard to get past. And last time I checked, which wasn't that long ago, that was you." Waterguard planted the tip of his index finger against Fireguard's visor to drive the point home. "You're a member of this team, dude, like it or not."

"I was in the middle of something. You had to call me the minute things got a little crazy?"

"Oh _come on_, man! You came like a shot last time I was in trouble!"

"That time it was just the two of you. And besides, I never said I was keeping this thing!" Fireguard pointed to his Guardbrace.

Waterguard sighed in frustration. Fireguard may have been his best friend, but the way he kept going on like this was starting to get to him. "Don't you know anything about being a superhero? It's never about you, it's about helping other people because you've got gifts they don't. The Guardbraces won't work for anyone but us, y'know."

"Whatever, man_…_"Fireguard just shook his head and called to Beservor. "_Open me up a tunnel back to my restaurant, Bes. We won't be catching that monster right now_."

_"Very well."_ Another gaping orifice of white light appeared in the ground to return Fireguard to his office before anyone noticed he was gone. It sealed behind him as always.

"What was that about?" Airguard asked after a moment.

"Ah, he's ticked because we interrupted something important and we couldn't handle that thing by ourselves." Waterguard sighed.

"Really? Funny, he didn't seem like the type to react like that. Of course, I've only known him for a few days," Forestguard said, "Do you think we should tell him? Might change his mind."

"No, not yet," Waterguard replied, "I hope he's just getting used to the role, and soon he'll stop bitching about it so much. This is a lot to deal with, after all."

Air turned to Earth, "That reminds me, Naoko…just what _were_ you two talking about while the rest of us were getting plastered? You looked awfully cozy back there for a while."

Earthguard's cheeks flushed. "Kami-sama, aren't you too young to be asking questions like that?" she said, more harshly than she meant. Behind her helmet, Airguard raised a knowing eyebrow and smirked.

Meanwhile, the monster responsible for the upheaval earlier limped back to his boss's hideout, holding his detached horn in his free hand.

"Gods and Minions," he grumbled, "One run in with those damn Guardrangers, an I'm scarred for life. Who knew they'd be real trouble?"

"_I_ did, you walking flamethrower!" the voice of his leader thundered, "They've already laid waste to a good number of Silicons, slew three of our best warriors, and you don't think they're trouble, Arbast? And what were you doing outside without my permission? It's your own fault you ran into them. You're lucky your greed didn't lead you straight into an early grave!"

"You know me, boss. I get itching fingers, and I have to go out and steal. You created me, you ought to know. Besides, Mergol, Genac, and Garmanda were weaklings. I had them on the ropes until the one in red showed his face. The others were nothing. _He_ was a menace," the monster replied, holding up his severed horn.

"He's a creature of fire, just like you, that's why. You're lucky that horn was all he cut off of your head. But I think I have a way to overcome that obstacle." The shadowed figure walked over to a pedestal in the center of his headquarters. On it rested a number of small pouches, one of which he grabbed and tossed to Arbast.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Never mind what it is for now. Go out and steal to your heart's content. If you run into anything you can't handle, though, open the pouch and pour the contents over yourself. That should eliminate any difficulties," the leader said.

"You're certain?" Arbast sounded a little dubious.

"Of course I'm am. It will make you invincible. But only use it when you have no other options left. They must be taken by surprise."

"Whatever you say," Arbast said. He emptied out his stash and left to recover before leaving to continue his little crime wave. And his leader heaved a sigh of exasperation about his willful servant, then returned to his planning.

"We have to tell him," Tochiro said to the other three Rangers back in the Earth Sanctum, "He's got a right to know something like that."

"He's not ready, Tochiro. You saw how he acted after that fight," Naoko protested. "What do you think, Jason? You've known Ryuji longer than any of us. We need everybody… even that stubborn friend of yours," she added with a touch of irritation.

"Ease up, Naoko." Jason came back. He didn't much care for the good doctor's constant needling of his best friend, although the truth be told, that smack he'd given Ryuji earlier for dragging his feet again hadn't been entirely unwarranted. "Anyway, I don't think telling him would help, Tochiro. If that fight with Hot-Lips back there didn't convince him how much we need him, dropping a bomb like our little secret won't help, either."

"Oh, I think he has another reason for staying, even if neither of them will admit it," Miaka said, teasingly poking Naoko in the side. The guys looked at each other and snickered. Naoko didn't understand what any of them thought was so blasted funny.

Beservor gave a few magical coughs to quiet them down. "Earthguard is right. We need the entire group to stop Garganstah. Fireguard will have to realize that there's no point in running his business if it means the world crumbles around him. 

"Exactly," Naoko said, a bit piously. Jason rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright, I can take a hint," he sighed, "I'll talk to him. Again. But if we have to do it again it's the girls' turn."

A few days later, Ryuji was sitting by the window in his office again wondering about whether the others really needed him that much. He had been the only one who had done any damage to that monster, that was true. But he'd never asked for this, and his business was just about to take off. Didn't he get to choose between taking care of that and this monster? Surely one Guardranger didn't make that big of a difference.

The monster had apparently stuck up more jewelry stores since the last time the Rangers had run into him, but he was quicker and more cautious than earlier, as he always disappeared by the time the other Guardrangers got there. But the others could deal with it. They _wanted_ to be Guardrangers, and they wouldn't last long if he had to come to blow their noses and kiss their boo-boo's every time trouble came to visit.

"Ryuji?" A youthful voice asked from the hallway, knocking on Ryuji's door and poking his head in. "Are you busy? I can come back later if you were."

"Hey, Keitaro," Ryuji greeted him. "No, I'm not busy. What's up? Something wrong?"

Keitaro stood in Ryuji's doorway, his gaze trained on his shoes, "Well, no, not wrong, exactly…" he said, finally meeting Ryuji's curious eyes, "I was just wondering if I could leave a little early Monday. It's my niece's birthday and I really should be there…"

"Is that all?" Ryuji asked. "Sure, I don't mind. In fact…go ahead and take the whole day off, Keitaro. And tell her I said Happy Birthday." 

Keitaro's face lit up into a surprised smile. "I will. Thanks, Ryuji," he nodded as he left the office, shutting the door behind him. 

Ryuji couldn't help but grin at Keitaro's bashfulness over asking for something so simple. He was a painfully shy kid, but he was definitely a good one, and one of the hardest workers the Bushel had. Ryuji only wished solving his own problems was as easy as that had been on Keitaro. This whole Guardranger situation was gnawing at him. He'd hoped somewhere deep down that Beservor has somehow fumbled the ball on this whole legendary warrior thing, and that someone else out there was the one who was supposed to be doing the job he'd been unceremoniously drafted into. It was a self-centered idea, Ryuji knew, but he couldn't get the possibility to go away once it surfaced. He'd have much preferred to keep his mental load on the light side. Like thinking about the offer those two guys had made him feel a few days ago. He'd always wanted for the Bushel to have more exposure. Sure, the place was popular, but it was still relatively unknown to most of the public at large. So writing a book of recipes seemed a good way of calling attention to himself and his restaurant .

_Yeah…this is just the thing I need to get things moving._ Ryuji reached toward his desk, grabbing the portable phone and fishing the business card he was given out of a drawer where he'd left it. Dialing the number printed there, Ryuji brought the receiver to his ear, and waited. After a few rings, someone on the other end spoke.

"Hayashi Publications," a feminine vocal warbled through the phone.

"Hi," Ryuji said. "Could I speak to speak to…" Ryuji paused as he read the name on the card, "Ayeda Kenichiro, please?"

"Just a moment, please." There was silence for a moment, then. "Ayeda Kenichiro speaking."

"Ayeda-san? This is Sakamoto Ryuji. From the Golden Bushel?"

"Ah, Sakamoto-san," Mr. Ayeda replied, his voice that of the man in the gray suit. He sounded pleased. "What can I do for you?"

"Well…I was calling about that offer you made when you came by my place a few days ago. About me doing a book for you. I was wondering…are you still interested?"

"So how do you plan on telling him?" Tochiro asked as he and Jason walked across a busy intersection in the Ueno district, a good five minutes away from Ryuji's restaurant.

"Dude, I can honestly say I've got _no_ idea," Jason sighed, swinging his well-loved bomber jacket over his shoulder, a sudden breeze rustling against his white muscle shirt. "It was tough enough just getting him to accept being Fireguard. But this…" Jason blew a noisy rush of air out of his mouth. "Sorry about dragging you along. You must think I'm a wimp for not wanting to do this alone."

"Don't worry about it," Tochiro squeezed Jason's shoulder. "We're all friends here, Jason. We look out for each other. I haven't known you guys that long, but I feel like we're pretty close regardless."

Jason grinned. It was true after all. He'd already accepted Tochiro as a friend, and even if Fate hadn't made them both Guardrangers, Jason was sure they would've hit it off anyway. The man just seemed to have that effect on people. "Thanks, Tochiro," he said, punching his arm in a friendly fashion. As they approached the block where the Golden Bushel was located, Jason and Tochiro noticed that the outside tables in front of the restaurant were filled to capacity, something Jason had never seen before. There was even a small line of people near the front door waiting to seated.

"Whoa," Jason breathed. 

"Is it always this crowded here?" Tochiro asked. "I've barely heard of this place. No offense."

"None taken. You're right, though, the Bushel's never been this packed before. I mean, it's always been popular with the locals, but wow!" The two men headed for inside, practically shouldering their way through the crowd and in through the front door.

"Hey, Jason," the black-haired guy behind the counter called.

"Hey, Shiro. Is Ryuji here?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, back in the office," Shiro jerked his thumb toward the rear of the building.

"Arigato," Jason nodded back as he and Tochiro headed through the kitchen and into the hallway that led to Ryuji's office. As they neared the partially open doorway, Jason heard his best friend talking enthusiastically.

"Yeah, of course, that's no problem at all. Listen, how much time would I get--you know, to put all this together, because it's gonna take a while to--what? No. No, that's great! Yeah, I can work with that. So when can I expect the advance for this? Tomorrow??? No, no, I'm just surprised, is all. Yes, I can meet you in half an hour to settle the details." Jason and Tochiro heard the sound of Ryuji hanging up, then Ryuji let out an ecstatic, booming, "**YOSHA!**"

_What the heck…?_ Jason and Tochiro looked at each other questioningly for a minute. Then Jason reached over and pushed the office door the rest of the way open. "Hey, Ryuji," he said, "what's up?"

Ryuji's face split into a huge grin. "What's up? Everything's up, Jase! Up to the ceiling!" He bounded over to Jason and proceeded to bear hug the wind out of him. Needless to say, Jason was a little shocked by the gesture--Ryuji wasn't the huggy-feely type unless things were either seriously happy or just plain serious. And seeing as how Ryuji was in an obvious good mood…

"Uh, dude…? What's goin' on? What's up with the hug?" Jason hugged him back, the action being more of a reflex than anything conscious.

"Jase, I just got the most incredible offer; you're not gonna believe this," Ryuji pulled back, noticing Tochiro standing in the doorway, apparently at a loss for words. "Tochiro! Hey, come on in, buddy. I want you to hear this, too."

"So what's the story, Ryu?" Jason asked.

Ryuji grinned again. "You guys ever heard of Kenichiro Ayeda?"

Tochiro's eyes widened. "Who hasn't? He's the head of the biggest publishing company in Japan. That's who you were talking to?"

"Yeah. A couple of guys who work for him came in a few days ago, and get this--they want me to write a recipe book. They want to publish it as soon as I can get it together!"

_Man, no wonder he was warm when I called him. This is exactly what Ryu's been waiting for … So what do I do now? Well…the only thing I_ can_ do…_

Jason grinned at Ryuji, returning the bear hug his best friend had just given him. "That's awesome, man! I know how much you've been wanting this. Congratulations, dude!"

"Same here, Ryuji," Tochiro stuck his hand out. 

"Thanks, guys," Ryuji shook Tochiro's hand. "Oh, man, I still can't believe this. Finally, I'm getting a chance to make the Bushel more than just a blip on the radar. I never thought it'd happen this fast, though." He led them out of his office and toward the front while they talked.

"Well, judging from the crowds inside and outside, you're off to a pretty good start," Tochiro said. "We practically had to shoehorn our way through the front door."

"So, dude, how much money are you gettin' for this, anyway?" Jason asked slyly. "We talkin' five, six-figures there or what?"

Ryuji chuckled. But before he could answer, the sounds of shattering glass, and then voices from outside on the street screaming came thundering in through the open window.

"What the--" Ryuji moved toward the window and stuck his head out.

The scene below was--to put it mildly--chaos. The jewelry store down the street had its front window smashed out, and there were two policemen sprawled facedown on the sidewalk, shattered glass fragments scattered all over the place. Apparently someone--or something--had throw them out of the place. But what?

But then a cloud of fire burst out through the splintered window, sending the few pedestrians left in the area running for cover. Jason and Tochiro, who'd joined Ryuji as the window, both grimaced at the sight.

"Oh, no, tell me that's not who I think it is…" Tochiro groaned.

"Great. Hot Lips again," Jason muttered, shaking his head. "We better get down there, Tochiro." Tochiro nodded, as Jason looked over at his best friend. "Hey, Ryu…listen, you don't have to--"

Ryuji sighed, "Jase, don't worry about it. Let's just get down there and take care of this, okay?" But Jason could feel the irritation in his friend's voice. Within moments the street was evacuated, including the Golden Bushel, by all but them. Ryuji looked back, the empty dining area exactly what he didn't want to see at this point with things looking up. He stuck his head out the window, looking both ways as if he were about to cross the street, then brought his arm up, calling, **"FIRE FOCUS!"** A wave of red light washed over Ryuji's body as his Guardsuit flared into being. He pulled himself up onto the window ledge, calling over his shoulder. "Come on, guys!" Jason and Tochiro nodded in consent, raising their Guardbraces, and transforming as Fireguard jumped out of the window to the sidewalk behind his restaurant below.

Arbast snorted as he grabbed a clawed handful of black suit jacket, tugging the young man who was wearing it off of his position slumped across the jewelry display case, to the pile of unconscious bodies on the floor. He noisily smashed in the glass plates, shoveling out handfuls of watches, necklaces, and rings into the huge bag slung over his shoulder. He sighed, only slightly content with the haul. The store was a pitifully small establishment compared to some of the other joints he'd hit in the past few days. Of course, he hadn't checked the safe in the back yet. Arbast chuckled with greed as he started toward the rear of the store, paying no heed to the unconscious and injured men he stepped over--or on--to get there.

But before he could take another step, a flash of silver cut the air behind him, snapping at the bottom of the sack on Arbast's shoulder, and good number of his purloined treasures spilling to the floor. He swerved around, snarling, "What now…?!"

Standing just inside the scorched and splintered front window frame stood three of the Guardrangers. Forestguard on the left, holding the spiked cable end of his Gorilla Vine tense and ready, Fireguard in the middle, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and Waterguard on the right, one leg crossed in front of the other, leaning on his teammate's shoulder.

"Yo, Hellboy," he said easily, as if he wasn't discussing anything more casual than the weather, "what's up?"

"Still working the petty theft thing, eh?" Forestguard scoffed. "I guess the whole taking-stuff-that-doesn't-belong-to-you bit's the only job skill you learned in Monster Trade School."

Fireguard stared silently at the men lying on the floor, some of them in worse condition than others, and felt his anger rise. He didn't want to be a Guardranger, but that didn't mean he wanted to see anyone getting mauled and mangled by monsters, either. "Guys," he said low and dangerously, "get these people out of here." Red fire blossomed out of his fist, the Dragon Steel forming there a few seconds later. "I'll handle him."

"You pests again, eh? CATCH!" Arbast snatched up the closest body at his feet--the young guy in the suit jacket--and flung him high in to the air and across the room toward the broken window.

"KISAMA!" Fireguard spit out, about to spring into the air, but Waterguard beat him to it, darting back a few paces, then leaping upward, catching the unconscious man against his chest. Arbast capitalized on the distraction and spit a stream of fire toward Forestguard, but Fireguard moved in front of his teammate, taking the blast to his chest harmlessly. Forestguard, who had backed away about a dozen steps behind his friend, sprinted forward and jumped, using Fireguard's shoulders for a springboard, and flipped forward, a flare of green light swelling up between his hands.

**"AURA OAK BUSTER!" **Forestguard shouted, driving his arms downward, a shockwave of bright green leaf-like projectiles lancing out of his palms and rained on Arbast, igniting sparks across the monster's head and shoulders. As Forestguard landed behind the creature and rolled clear of the area , Fireguard crouched slightly at the knees, and launched himself forward, swinging his Dragon Steel in vicious arcs across the heavy scales of Arbast's chest. The monster tried to fight back, to spare a hand to pull out a concealed weapon or strike back with his fists, but Fireguard's assault was too furious to repel (especially without letting go of his sack of loot). Seeing that he had the upper hand, Fireguard took a step back, then ducked. Before Arbast could figure out what they were up to, Waterguard came from behind with a flying kick, knocking Arbast across the room and almost out the front door.

Arbast groaned as he hauled himself to his feet. He hadn't been expecting to run into the Guardrangers again, but prepared to fight back until he could get away. He braced himself as Forestguard charged him, then clobbered the Ranger square in the chest with his hefty sack, which felt A LOT heavier than it looked, thanks to its unlimited storage capacity.

Fireguard and Waterguard leaped at him together, weapons brandished. The Orca Brand struck Arbast's shoulder, sparks flying everywhere, but he just gave a nasty laugh and smacked Waterguard back inside and into the pile of bodies near the display cases.

Fireguard, however, was another story. A fact further punctuated as the blade of the Dragon Steel sank deep into Arbast's side. The fire-breathing beast bellowed in outrage and slammed Fireguard solidly in the gut, but the hero rolled with the blow, right back onto his feet. The ease of it all surprised both of them. Arbast snorted flaming coals in frustration.

"You're a tough cookie, Guardranger. In fact, you're the only one who's made me work for this haul I've cleared for myself."

"I'm flattered, I guess," he scoffed, jumping into the air and swinging the Dragon Steel again. Arbast moved quickly and grabbed the blade in between his teeth. Fireguard was completely taken by surprise by this, and Arbast swung his hefty sack at the Ranger, sending him flying out through the ruined front window. Arbast climbed through a second afterward, spitting out the sword and kicking it down the street for good measure.

Arbast was about to leap on the Ranger in red, when he caught a flash of azure in the corner of his eye. Waterguard was climbing to his feet, lowering a body in blue jeans and a leather jacket out of his arms, and gently to the floor. He twisted the shaft of his Orca Brand at the base, the trident blade retracting and shifting to form a double-barreled blaster end. He started to take aim, but Arbast lashed out in a blur of motion, swiping his claws across Waterguard's chest, then grabbed him by the helmet, and slammed him face first into the display case. The young hero groaned loudly in response, trying to rise, but the pain was too much to take, even with his Guardsuit's protection, and he went limp, his body slumping into the debris of twisted metal and broken glass of the display case.

"Son of a bitch!" Fireguard shouted suddenly, quivering in rage. He charged. But Arbast smirked, and opened his sack. A swarm of insects the size of dogs came flying out, spitting tiny but painful bolts of electricity at him "Nandatto?!"

"Lightning bugs, couldn't you tell?" Arbast smirked. His pets flew toward Fireguard in crazy spirals, and as Fireguard struck out they kept zipping out of the way of his punches. But as the first one got close enough to sink its electrified mandibles into his arm, something came flying through the air and impaled it. 

Arbast turned, "Eh?!"

The answer to that question came in the form of two female voices clashing in unison, one tinted with an unearthly rumble, the other with a vibrating undercurrent like the howling of a gust of wind.

**"GRIZZLY TERRA BREAKER!"**

"HAWK SOUL SNIPER!"

A line of invisible force exploded forward toward the monster, heaving concrete and stone shrapnel up in its wake, surrounded by a glowing surge of wind and white light that smashed into Arbast, igniting a blizzard of sparks and throwing him back a good fifty feet into the side of a sedan parked on the street. He looked up, enraged, and saw that Earthguard and Airguard were running down the street toward the battle, Airguard brandishing the Hawkwing. Arbast scowled. Just as he was about to win, the rest of the team showed up. How did they manage it? Earthguard struck out with the Grizzly Claws, knocking one of the huge bugs out of the air, then another. Airguard fired arrow after arrow, each one claiming another bug. Soon they had all been swatted and reduced to smoking pieces.

"Ready to give it up?" Fireguard challenged, drawing his Eternablade. Arbast growled, then reared back and loosed a jet of flame breath at the three of them. Air and Earth darted out of the way this time, but Fireguard took the blast full in the chest like he'd done before, drawing the strength of the heat into his body. Earth and Air leaped down on him from both sides, but Arbast smacked them both out of the air with a swipe of his sack, and closed in for the kill before they could recover.

Speaking of recovering, though, Forestguard had, and swung the Gorilla Vine, its powerful cable biting into Arbast's arm. He growled in pain and produced the pouch his leader had given him, but before he could open it Forestguard snapped out with the Gorilla Vine again, and sent the pouch flying out of sight. Seeing that the advantage now belonged to his enemies, Arbast dropped a smoke bomb and vanished in the thick cloud.

"I don't understand it," Forestguard said to the others, "That monster's so strong but he keeps running away from us. We didn't hurt him _that_ badly…"

"I guess he only likes to fight when he has the upper hand," Fireguard replied. He'd stepped back into the ruined store for a minute, and now he was hauling Waterguard out, his blue-covered arm slung around Fireguard's shoulder, helping him walk. "Or maybe he's just trying to figure out how we operate so he'll know what to do when he wants to get serious."

"Ugh," Waterguard groaned, dusting himself off, "if he wasn't serious now, I sure as hell don't wanna be around when he is." He rubbed his helmet. "I'm gonna feel this for a week."

Fireguard patted his shoulder. "You did good, man."

"So what should we do now?" Earthguard asked him.

"Well, since I don't see any trail to follow, I guess we…wait, why are you asking _me_?"

"Oh, no reason." Earthguard replied blithely.

"Well, anyway, since it seems like we can't follow him, I guess we go to the Earth Sanctum and see if Beservor can give us a clue." As Fireguard said this, he caught a glimpse of a fleck of metallic substance clinging to one of the spikes on the Gorilla Vine. He pulled it loose, and added, "And see if he knows what the story behind this is."

"You guys go ahead," Waterguard said, "I'm gonna wait for an ambulance to get here. I'm kind of worried about those guys Arbast beat up on in there."

"Yeah, same here," Fireguard admitted. Arbast had left a lot of bodies in his wake, but the guy the monstrous fire-breather had tried to throw through the window stood out in his head the most. He turned to Earthguard and Airguard. "You two go back to the Earth Sanctum and show this to Bes. We'll be there as soon as some help gets here."

"Yes, sir!" Airguard saluted. Earthguard raised an eyebrow from behind her visor.

"Giving orders, eh? How leader-like of you," she said dryly.

Fireguard sighed. "Whatever. C'mon, guys," He headed back inside, Water and Forest following behind him. A rush of air blowing into the store heralded the opening of a wind tunnel outside, then died away a second later. Some of the guys in the store had woken up by now, and were mostly just roughed up and bruised, but the guy in the leather jacket was bleeding freely from his head, and Waterguard was down on his knees checking on the one that Arbast had tried to throw out the window.

"How's he doing?" He called over to Waterguard.

"Dunno yet," Waterguard said back. He took the guy by the shoulders and rolled him gently onto his back. "Yo, dude, you okay? Can you hear--" His voice cut off in mid-sentence. "Oh, Jesus…"

"Nan desu ka?" Forestguard came over from behind the mangled counter where another of Arbast's victims was recovering. He knelt next to his teammate and peered over his shoulder.

Waterguard lifted the unconscious body into his arms. "Takeo," he muttered.

"Nani?" Fireguard closed in from the other side, crouching down in front of them. Sure enough, it _was _Takeo Yashamura lying in Waterguard's grip, his face and forehead crisscrossed slightly with scratches, a sizeable bruise along the line of his jaw. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "The guy you were playing basketball with?"

The answer to that, however, would have to come later, because a medical team came surging into the store just then, followed a small contingent of police officers. Fireguard stood up. "C'mon, guys. Let's get out of here and them do their jobs." He tugged on Waterguard's arm gently. "He'll be okay, Jase," he said softly.

Waterguard was understandably reluctant, but he nodded, lying Takeo back down, and letting two of the men from the medical unit take over. Fireguard explained the situation briefly to one of the cops, then headed outside, the other two in tow. Fireguard sent a mental call to Beservor, and in moments, a familiar pool of white light opened, whisking the trio into the tunnels beneath the city.

They arrived at Tokyo Tower quickly, and by now Ryuji was almost getting used to how no one seemed to notice when five people just walked to the area beneath the spire and disappeared from sight. The lights came on in the stairway as they entered, and after a short descent they had arrived in the main chamber. A bunch of colorful sparks jumped up and began flitting around the inside of Beservor's globe as they approached, as if he'd just woken up.

"Hello, Guardrangers. We have been waiting for you."

"Is everything all right?" Naoko asked. She and Miaka were back in civilian attire by now.

"Yeah, the ambulances and the cops got there a couple of minutes after you left. Did you guys tell Bes about the monster?" Ryuji asked, his Guardsuit dissolving into energy along with Jason's and Tochiro's.

"Yes. I called Earthguard and Airguard to assist you, after all."

"Well, do you know what that stuff was, then?" Ryuji asked, holding up the piece of metal that rested on the table next to the globe. The lights in the crystal ball started bouncing around faster and blinking more brightly, the way they did when he was using his remaining magic. His power wasn't what it used to be, but a moment later the lights settled down again.

"This proves it. Those monsters are from Garganstah," he said to the rangers.

"Yeah?" Jason piped up.

"Yes. To keep from having to go into battle themselves, they studied how to create artificial life. They discovered a mixture of metals that when catalyzed by energy would create a warrior with whatever kind of abilities the Garganstah needed them to have."

"That explains why that monster from before went to pieces when he died," Jason mused, "Why he was made out of metal and all."

"I fear what else it might mean. The creatures you've been fighting are superior to the warriors Garganstah created during the initial war," Beservor went on, "This material is superior to what they used to use. It would certainly explain it. Stopping them this time will be an even greater trial…"

This bit of news didn't make any of the Guardrangers more comfortable. None of them would ever be able to remember their original lives and fighting Garganstah back then, but the idea that the foes they'd be fighting were more powerful than before while they themselves were not was not a pleasant one.

Miaka was the first to speak. She was enjoying this, learning she was actually a legendary hero and all, but after almost losing her life to a monster during her first battle, she had enough sense to be cautious about this.

"Are we strong enough? To stop these new monsters?"

"That depends on you," the wizard replied, "Part of it is raw power, which you all possess, of course, but the more important part of teams such as yourselves succeeding comes from unity and conviction. Strength of spirit goes much farther than you think."

"But Ryuji fought that thing off all by himself," Jason protested.

"Yes, true. But if it had been serious about fighting you, rather than collecting jewelry, it would've taken all of you to deal with it. You are still learning, Guardrangers. You must believe in yourselves and learn to work together to harness your full potential. But I'm afraid all of that is up to you."

Naoko looked over at Ryuji. He stood there, looking at the crystal ball that housed what was left of their ancient mentor, like he had nothing wrong with any of it. Certainly a far cry from the complaining, childish person she'd seen before. He opened his mouth and was about to say something, but was interrupted when his pager started to buzz. Jason and Tochiro exchanged glances, realizing what this was probably about.

"Have to go answer this, guys. I'll think about what you said, Bes." Ryuji turned and walked up the stairs, out of the Earth Sanctum. Worried about that look on Jason and Tochiro's faces, Naoko followed him. Miaka and Beservor just stood there looking understandably perplexed by Ryuji's sudden departure.

Naoko caught up to Ryuji at a pay phone out by the street. He said nothing into the receiver, but the way he was wincing told her something was wrong. Very wrong. He spoke into the receiver, but she couldn't hear what he said. A moment later he hung up and walked back toward the tower. When he got close enough she could hear him muttering, "I don't believe it… Kisama…" he swore.

"What's wrong?" Naoko asked.

"I had an appointment with a really important publisher to kick up my business. And thanks to all that fighting with the monster I completely forgot about it! He's never going to give me a chance to publish that book now!" He shoved a hand through his hair irritably.

Naoko grimaced. Everything she'd thought about Ryuji looking conscious of his duty back in the Sanctum melted away. Here was the whiny, self-absorbed person she'd seen the first time they met. "Unbelievable. Didn't any of what Beservor said sink in?" she snapped. "Like it or not, you're a Guardranger. And our strength comes from working together. But we're never going to see that happen as long as you're more concerned with your little restaurant than saving the world it's in." She was about to say something else, but the look in the young restaurateur's eyes stopped her quickly. If Ryuji's looks were enough to invoke the fire he embodied, there wouldn't have been enough left of Naoko to sweep up.

"Fine," he growled venomously, "you're sick of my complaining? Fair enough! I'm sick of you clucking at me like a mother hen." He ripped the Guardbrace off his wrist and tossed it to her.

"Nani??" Naoko blurted out.

"Getting off your case. You can't stand me, so I'm leaving. You ought to be thanking me. And tell Jason not to waste his time trying to talk me back into this. I'm outta here." He'd had all he could stand, and turned and walked away before Naoko could say anything else. She just stood there for a long moment, ignoring the looks from passersby, and wondered if maybe she'd pushed a little too hard.

Arbast had managed to stumble back to his master's lair. The other warriors would ridicule him for failing again, he knew it. How he'd explain it to the leader he didn't know. He didn't have to worry.

"So, you failed, eh?" the rich but evil voice of his leader sounded out from the shadows, " imbecile! I told you to use that pouch if you were losing! Why didn't you?"

"I tried, but I lost it thanks to them. What's so special about it anyway?"

"Don't concern yourself with that. You have deeper problems in front of you, Arbast. Go and lick your wounds. But know this; when you've recovered I will not permit anymore of your petty thievery. You are to go and battle the Guardrangers, wipe them off the earth once and for all. If you can't manage that all your pretty stones won't mean a thing," he went over and knocked Arbast to the ground with his fist, "You're one of my most powerful warriors, Arbast, not some common thief. **ACT LIKE IT."**

Arbast scowled, but wiped the expression when his leader's eyes burned malevolent blue, signaling a threat far worse than the punch he'd just gotten.. Arbast scuttled to his quarters to derive what little pleasure he could from admiring his stolen jewels.

He was a powerful monster, that he knew well. And defeating the Guardrangers, who had driven his entire civilization off the planet once before, would make him a legend among the people of Garganstah. He just couldn't stand it when his enemies fought back, inflicted bodily harm upon his person.

He sighed a cloud of hot gas, but straightened up as he heard a deep guffawing coming from the other room. Sulphos, that idiotic brute. He was talking to Arcume, the other surviving monster. Talking about Arbast, and how he'd fled like a scared child from the Guardrangers again. His blood boiled even hotter than usual, but he kept himself under control for the moment. Tomorrow, after he'd recovered himself, he'd go out there again and this time he'd be the one laughing when he came back.

The next afternoon, a little girl, Emi by name and eight years by age, walked home from school. There was nothing particularly attention-grabbing about her. She loved her parents, and loved flowers and wanted to take care of flowers when she grew up. She was bringing one home to show to her mother. Everything seemed all right.

Emi walked up to the front of the apartment building where her family lived. She was about to start climbing the stairs to their floor when someone called out to her. Emi turned to see who it was, and frowned as she spotted her pesty older brother and his friends jogging toward the building.

"Hey, Emi," he called, noticing the pink potted bloom in her hand, "have another one of your dumb flowers? Don't feel like making real friends?"

"Leave me alone, Shiro," she said in annoyance, and turned away. He danced in front of her and saw she did indeed have one of her precious flowers tucked under one arm. He also spotted the pouch with a stylized golden "G" on it in her other hand, though.

"Nan desu ka?" he demanded, making a grab for it.

Emi dodged aside, "Just something I found on the way home! Bug off!"

Shiro made a growling noise and jumped at the pouch. He, like many pesky siblings, didn't like for his sister to know something he didn't. He grabbled one end while Emi tugged on the other. It was her little secret thing. She'd found it, and she'd find out what it was on her own.

"Ouch! Shiro, you baka! Let go!" Emi protested.

Unfortunately, she was still holding her flower with the other hand, couldn't get a good grip because of that, and Shiro managed to tug the pouch free. But Emi lost her grip on the flower too, and it went flying from her grip. It arced through the air, the pot shattering on the ground, and the drawstring on the pouch had come loose. A golden dust that had been contained inside was scattered all over the area in front of the building where the flower had landed as Shiro lost his balance from tugging the pouch away.

His friends just stood there, then turned and left as quick as they could. They were sure Shiro was going to be in some serious trouble soon, and didn't care to stick around to see it.

Emi rushed over to the fallen flower, tears in her eyes. Shiro felt a quick pang of guilt, but it vanished and Emi stopped in her tracks when they saw what was happening to that flower. The golden powder that handed landed on it was being absorbed, and the flower to glow and crackle with tiny bolts of energy. Then it began to swell and grow, as if this were an old cartoon where a talking squirrel had poured fertilizer onto a sapling. Emi managed to collect herself in time to run to a safe distance as the flower shot to a height of several stories.

"Shiro," Emi asked quietly, "do you think mom would still like this?"

__

What a frickin' mess…

Jason was sitting in on a bench Ueno Park just in front of Shinobazu Pond, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art museum looming behind him, wracking his brain for answers. He hadn't gone back to Ryuji's place last night, not because he was angry--far from it. But he didn't know how Ryuji's state of mind was after possibly losing that book deal. He'd been psyched something awful about it, and now… 

Jason sighed heavily. Ryuji had tried calling him on his cell phone a few times last night and this morning, but whether it was to ask where Jason was or just to read him the riot act about yesterday, he didn't know since he hadn't bothered answering. Jason didn't have it in him to get into another argument about his sacred duty. Even though Ryuji was his best friend, he'd have to face up to what he was sooner or later.

But the way things were going, it looked to be later than sooner.

"Hey, Jason!"

Jason looked over his shoulder and saw Takeo jogging toward him dressed in a white tank top, shorts, and sneakers, his basketball tucked under his arm.

"Takeo? What're you doin' out of the hospital, dude?" Jason vaulted over the back of the bench and met his friend on the grass and sticking his hand out. 

Takeo took the offered hand with a grin. "I got out last night. The docs said I'll be fine as long I take it easy for about a week." Takeo did look better; the purple along his jaw where he'd no doubt been slugged by Arbast had spread a little further, but wasn't as prominent as it'd been before and the scrapes on his face were almost unnoticeable now. Jason nodded with relief.

"Good. I'm glad you're okay, man. Listen…I know this is kinda sudden and all…and you just got outta the hospital. But are you still lookin' to rent your apartment out?"

"Yeah, I am. Actually I've got some business I need to take care of in about an hour, but after that if you still want to check it out, I'll show you around.

Jason nodded eagerly. "Yeah, that'd be great, man! Thanks!"

"No problem," Takeo grinned. "Hey, I'd better get going. I'll see you later." They shook hands again, and Takeo headed off in the other direction. Which just happened to be perfect timing, because at that moment…

__

"Jason!" Beservor's ethereal voice sounding in his mind, _"That fire-breathing monster has returned! You and the other must intercept it at once! I'm opening a tunnel for you!"_

_"Is Ryuji coming?_" he responded, getting up to dash to the concealed entrance to the wind tunnel.

_"I haven't contacted him yet, but you can't let the problem with him distract you. This monster is very strong and your thoughts must be clear to defeat him," _the wizard answered.

Jason found the glowing white orifice in the ground in the middle of an isolated copse of trees, and leaped in, crying out, "WATER FOCUS!" The power of the seas of the answered his call, garbing him in Waterguard's blue uniform and bestowing the strength and martial ability that was his right as a Guardranger. Naoko, Tochiro and Miaka also heard the summons, and moments later the four Guardrangers were rocketing along an underground tunnel, carrying them to the site of the battle to come.

Arbast stormed through the streets. He wasn't here to steal anything this time. He knew these do-gooder types; just go on a little rampage through the streets and they'd come running to stop him. He opened his sack, and a gang of Silicons came leaping out. One smashed a store window with his mace. A pair of them lifted and threw a car, with its driver screaming his terror, through the air until it smashed into the side of a building. Another two began clubbing a young couple not fleet of foot enough to escape them.

The ground trembled underfoot. Arbast steeled himself and whistled, calling his Silicons to attention. The ground split open and four of the Guardrangers were sent flying out. Waterguard and Forestguard somersaulted in the air like acrobats, while Airguard and Earthguard charged in from behind them like a pair of spears in flight before landing expertly on their feet and swerving into fighting stances.

Arbast raised an eyebrow in surprise. Only four? No matter, his task was the destruction of the Guardrangers, and without their final member he reasoned he'd have no trouble.

"Go greet our guests." The Silicons raised their weapons and swarmed toward the Guardrangers, with Arbast right behind them.

Earthguard wasn't thinking quite straight as she slogged through the Silicons. She'd been bothered by Ryuji's up and quitting the team. She should've been more understanding about why he'd been so upset before, since he had, in all likelihood, lost that business deal Jason and Tochiro had told her and the others about. After all, how often did someone get such a golden opportunity like he had? It wasn't the first time she'd pushed a little too hard, and pushed someone away. So what if he was a whiner? They needed him and it was because of her that he wasn't there.

She landed a blow on a Silicon with her Grizzly Claws, but he only staggered back a few steps before recovering and charging her with his sword raised high. She parried with the Claws and kicked the Silicon down, only to be struck by a sword blow from behind. Earthguard crumpled to the ground.

Forestguard and Airguard were faring better, though struggling against the sheer weight of numbers of their foes. For each that fell it seemed another appeared. Waterguard fought Arbast himself, striking repeatedly with his Orca Brand but seemingly doing no damage at all. Arbast responded by swinging his giant sack at Waterguard's head, but the hero ducked and rolled out of the way.

"You aren't gonna hit me with that bag of jewelry this time, Hot-Lips!"

"Forget the trinkets, boy," Arbast growled, "I'M OUT FOR _BLOOD!" _He balled his fist and smashed it into Waterguard's jaw. The hero reeled back, but Arbast didn't let up. He kicked Waterguard down and began smashing him with the weighty sack. But with his face pressed against the ground, Waterguard looked up to see Earthguard, fighting vainly to get up as a group of Silicons repeatedly pummeled her to the ground again and again. As the weight of the infinite contents of Arbast's sack slammed into his back again, Waterguard painfully drew his Eternablade, and, mustering all of his strength, stabbed it into the monster's shin.

Arbast howled in pain, and Waterguard managed to get to his feet and shoulder check him down. The blue hero slashed his way through the Silicons around Earthguard with his trident and pulled his battered comrade to her feet.

"You all right?" he asked during the brief lull.

"Not even close. Ryuji should be here and I'm feeling like I'm the straw that broke the camel's back."

"We can't worry about that now, we've got a fight on our hands!" he exclaimed as the villains regrouped. Arbast yanked Waterguard's sword out of his leg and tossed it back, blade first. Sparks erupted as the Eternablade struck Waterguard in the chest. The Silicons threw Airguard and Forestguard into the arms of their erstwhile companions, and before the Guardrangers could react, Arbast reared back his head and spat a fireball into their midst. It exploded as it hit the ground and sent them all flying.

_Slimeball's playing for keeps this time_, Waterguard groaned mentally. He gathered himself together and rose to his feet. They were all in sorry shape, but they had to find some way to win…_Time to get serious_.

With a sudden, single movement, he struck out with his trident and drove it through the chest of a Silicon. He smashed it into another and then kicked both off the teeth of his weapon. He had to believe he could win, have the confidence to fight back. Otherwise his elemental powers meant nothing. And hopefully it would be enough to get the others to do likewise.

The other three rose shakily. They called out, and their special weapons came. Airguard took aim, firing a swarm of arrows that thudded lethally into a bunch of Silicon chests. Forestguard lashed out with the Gorilla Vine like a bullwhip, dismembering a few more. Earthguard jumped at Arbast himself, brandishing her fearsome claws, a gray haze building up around them. Arbast glared at her, about to let her have it, when she thrust her hands out toward him, the fog in her hands rushing outward and bathed him in a blizzard of stone particles that quickly solidified around him, encasing him in a sheath of stone. A living statue.

**"PETRA--CROSS--SLASH!" **she shouted out, energy gathering in the Grizzly Claws just before she dug into Arbast's face like an "X," releasing all that energy most painfully. The stone cocoon around the monster swiftly began to crack and splinter, and Earthguard felt a rush of victory move through her. But it was short-lived. The stone shell imprisoning him shattered, leaving the monster relatively unharmed, and in enough agony to completely infuriate him. 

But Arbast would not give ground. _"IGNORE THE PAIN. YOU ARE POWERFUL, STRONGER THAN ALL OF THEM. AND YOU'LL BE A LEGEND FOR DESTROYING THE GUARDRANGERS!"_ Roaring with anger, Arbast kicked her violently in the stomach. Earthguard doubled over, and Arbast kicked her ten feet through the air.

"Oh my God," Waterguard winced as she collided with a stack of oil drums and they collapsed underneath her with a clatter. They had to rally back fast. "Forestguard! Airguard! Back me up, guys!" And with that he charged headlong at Arbast. The other two rangers finished off the last of the Silicons and followed, weapons aimed at their monstrous adversary.

Arbast reared back his head and exhaled a cloud of flame at them, but the Guardrangers focused inward. They had to stop this monster, they had to protect the people of Earth, they couldn't let anything stop them. They were wracked with pain from the intense heat, but withstood it and came barreling out the other side. Waterguard sank the teeth of the Orca Brand into Arbast's gut. Forestguard swung his weapon and the cable coiled around Arbast's left arm, making him drop his sack of surprises. And finally, Airguard jumped up and loosed a volley of arrows that exploded against the monster's chest. This more than he could convince himself to ignore, and he finally collapsed.

Airguard stepped back, to check on Earthguard while the others kept an eye on Arbast. She was a little dazed, and as smashed up as the rest of them, but got to her feet with a little help.

"I have to admit, mortals," Arbast croaked to Waterguard and Forestguard, who had him pinned to the ground, "You're stronger than I took you for."

"Shut up," Waterguard retorted. He reared back his arms to drive the Orca Brand deeper into Arbast's gut, but Forestguard grabbed him by the wrist.

"Is that really the way? We've beaten him."

"Are you serious??? As long as he's alive he's a threat!" But this moment of distraction had given Arbast the split-second he needed to extract the second pouch his leader had given him from his pocket and open the drawstring. The Guardrangers noticed, but before they could stop him, he had poured the golden powder inside over himself.

Waterguard lunged to finish him off, but it was too late. Arbast climbed to his feet as his body suddenly doubled in size. Then doubled again. Within seconds he was towering over the skyscrapers around him.

He seemed as surprised by it as they did, but his surprise quickly turned to a smug certainty. Arbast raised his enormous foot and tried to bring it down on the Guardrangers, who rolled out of the way in the nick of time.

"Oh, boy…_now_ what do we do?" Airguard asked Waterguard urgently.

"Why are you asking me? I'm not the leader!" he said, just as urgently.

Arbast leered down and spewed one of his infamous clouds of fire. All of the Guardrangers collapsed in bursts of sparks and flaming agony.

_"Fireguard!"_ the voice of the old wizard sounded in Ryuji's head like a warning bell, making him drop the skillet he was preparing an order in. The other cooks looked over at him in surprise.

"Ryuji? You okay?" one of the busboys asked him.

"Yeah… one of my migraines. Could you take over for me?" Another cook nodded and walked over to take his place. Ryuji walked into the office so he wouldn't look suspicious in front of the others.

_"What do you want, Bes? I'm not ready to come back."_

"Perhaps not but you are needed, Fireguard."

"That isn't my name!" Ryuji shouted at the wizard through their link.

_"Perhaps it isn't, but it is your destiny."_

"Let the others handle it."

Next came what sounded like an exasperated sigh, _"I have tried to be patient with you, Fireguard. I tried to let you take your time, but I see reason is lost on you. If words will not persuade you, then perhaps a show of force will suffice."_ Ryuji felt a splitting pain in his head, then groans and cries of pain. An evil, resounding laugh coming from somewhere above.

_"Nanda?!"_

"I am showing you what the others are experiencing. They cannot win against this foe with out your aid. This is your destiny, Fireguard, no matter low long or hard you choose to deny it."

Ryuji felt like every bruise and ache the Guardrangers had was his own, every nerve in his body alive with pain.

Their screams of anguish wafted through his mind like voices of the damned.

He could _feel_ their need for their fifth comrade, _feel_ their agony as the ground shook under their feet from the monster's titanic steps and the very around them was aflame thanks to the monster's deadly breath.

Ryuji's mind almost shattered under the effect. It was too much.

_"Bes…Is that really what's happening to them?"_

"Yes. And unless they receive your help soon, they will die."

"My Guardbrace…"

_"Earthguard still has it. Move quickly."_ The sound that was rapidly becoming more familiar of a wind tunnel opening roared through the window. Ryuji opened it and jumped into the waiting hole in the ground.

The Guardrangers staggered away from the gigantic Arbast as quickly as they could. But as he shoved a building out of his way with one hand, it was obvious they couldn't evade him for long.

Forestguard hung his head. He didn't really believe in fighting, killing. But if he hadn't stopped Waterguard they wouldn't be in this mess. Now wasn't the time to worry about it, though…

He snapped the Gorilla Vine at Arbast's leg, but the barbed cable just skittered off his thick hide. Arbast fixed his evil gaze at them and out shot crimson beams that tore holes in the street as the Guardrangers ran as fast as they could manage to get out of the way. They ducked into a low building for a moment's respite from the attack.

"Oh man…what do we do…we're so dead…" Waterguard said, more to himself than the others.

"Wait a minute, who's that?" Forestguard pointed to a young man on the other side of the street, who was darting around like he was looking for something. Everyone else had fled the area by now, even before Arbast had grown. Waterguard strained his eyes, then with a start, recognized him. So did Forestguard.

"It's Ryuji!" He ran up to the glass door , even though it hurt to move after the beatings they'd taken today, and waved urgently to attract his attention. Ryuji spotted him and sprinted over. "What are you doing here? I thought you quit."

"Bes helped me see the light." Ryuji answered, looking ashamed.

"I'd kick your ass if I wasn't so damned glad to see you, man. I was getting sick of doing your job," Waterguard replied, leaning on Forestguard for support. 

"Nani?"

Earthguard broke in, "Ryuji, Beservor told us that Fireguard is the team leader. We didn't tell you because we thought it might scare you off." She had to support herself on the back of a chair, but pressed his Guardbrace into his hand. "Waterguard was doing a good job, but you're the one we need. I know you can do it, I've seen it come out when the need is there. Help us. Lead us."

Ryuji nodded, then strapped the Guardbrace to his wrist.

"FIRE FOCUS!"

At this command a shockwave of red exploded beneath, and then around him as the power of fire was summoned again, empowering Ryuji and garbing him in the crimson uniform of Fireguard.

The only problem was, now what? Even now that he was here, it probably wouldn't make a lot of difference against the enormous monster he'd seen tearing buildings out of the ground. At that very moment Arbast started to smash in the building they were hiding in. But Ryuji had paid enough attention to the super sentai teams that had preceded his, and knew they all had something in common.

_"Bes, the monster's gone giant! He's bashing in the building we're inside of! We've gotta have **something** to deal with monsters like this, what is it?"_

The reply came as an ethereal sigh. _"I was hoping it would not come to this."_

"Well it has! And you'd better tell me quick! The others aren't in the best of shape and I think another attack might finish us all off!"

"Go outside, that should get the monster's attention. Then call for Hellscar to awaken."

"Huh? Who's Hellscar?"

"Go! Quickly!"

Fireguard dashed for the door as the roof started to collapse and hunks of masonry fell into the room. With no time to open it, he just shoulder-checked his way through, the splintering glass just bouncing off his protective suit. Arbast spotted the tiny red figure running into the middle of the street and stopped destroying the building. What was going on?

"HELLSCAR, AWAKEN!" Fireguard shouted.

Nothing happened. Arbast looked startled for a minute then chortled maliciously.

_"Bes, nothing's happening!"_

Beservor did not reply. Fireguard tried again, desperately this time, "HELLSCAR, **AWAKEN!!**" Again, nothing happened. The monster's chortle turned into a noisy guffaw and he raised his mammoth foot to stomp Fireguard into the street.

But then the ground started to shake. Fireguard was thrown off his feet, and Arbast nearly off his. It seemed to last forever, but was only a few seconds. Then there was the sound of the earth cracking open in the distance, and a spiraling tower of fire exploded out of the Earth and raced toward edge of the city. The firestorm began to shift and flow into another form as it traveled at top speed through the skies. And as it neared rapidly, Fireguard could finally make out the form that was solidifying within; an enormous, metallic dragon. Wings spread wide, it gave a thunderous, majestic roar as it bent back and caught the wind with its wings to slow and land. It was an awesome sight to see, the sun glinting off its red-hued armored skin, its claws and the edges of its wings the color of burnished gold. It was somewhat blocky-looking, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to mar its undeniable magnificence. Fireguard realized this was him, this was Hellscar. And a pair of words formed in his mind; Guard…and Beast. His Guard Beast.

Hellscar looked down at the hero, gold eyes glowing, then all of a sudden a beam of red light lanced out of his chest and engulfed Fireguard, pulling him inside. He found himself in some kind of cockpit surrounded by flame-red crystals inside the giant dragon, with a pedestal in front of him and a some kind of view screen that showed him what Hellscar saw. And he saw Arbast, looking much less confident now that he faced a foe of equal proportions. Instinct took over as Fireguard stepped up to the pedestal. "Hellscar, ascend and attack!"

The dragon obeyed, spreading his wings and taking to the air. Arbast spat a fireball but Hellscar descended out of the way. The dragon swooped down and raked Arbast with his claws, igniting a wave of sparks from the hit before climbing back into the sky. Fireguard could tell he was guiding Hellscar, but it was more like he was advising the dragon than dictating his every action. And like everything else he was learning about his abilities it felt extremely familiar, almost like instinct.

Arbast lashed out with his fists when Hellscar dove at him again, and knocked the dragon out of the air with a painful punch, but it only served to annoy the Guard Beast instead of injuring him. Once more Arbast summoned up and released his flaming breath, covering Hellscar with it. The dragon roared, but wasn't hurt. After all, he was the companion of the Guardranger of fire; what did he have to fear from heat and flame?

Instead, Hellscar rose to his taloned feet, roaring with anger, looking ready to end this. Fireguard, giving voice to a command he hadn't given in a very long time, cried out, **"HELLSTORMER!" **Hellscar's wings extended, gathering thermal energy in waves and spirals of crimson energy, the air around him rippling violently with the effect, and then he released it as a beam of blazing red light from his mouth, aimed straight at Arbast . It dug into the monster's chest, but he laughed. He could take heat just as well as Hellscar, but the Guard Beast kept pouring it on. Arbast's skin began to burn and blister in the hellish onslaught. He tried to run, tried to evade the beam, but he was weakening too quickly to escape or fight back. He futilely lobbed a hunk of cement at Hellscar, but it bounced off harmlessly. Finally, Arbast could take no more and exploded into a million pieces.

The Guardrangers stumbled out of the building they'd been hiding in. They gazed up at the dragon in awe. Fireguard disembarked down to meet them and accept their praise.

"You were incredible. I knew you could do it if you tried," Earthguard said, "arigato gozimasu…"

"Hey, thank him, too. I didn't do it by myself, right, pal?" Fireguard pointed to Hellscar, who made a sort of appreciative growl.

"Thanks, big buddy!" Waterguard called up to Hellscar. The dragon answered back with another growl, apparently saying, "You're welcome." Fireguard could feel something from Hellscar. A sense of satisfaction at their victory, but also, a sense of…what could it be? Wholeness? He'd have to ask Beservor more about it, perhaps why he was so reluctant for Hellscar to be freed.

But a scintillating column of light that had appeared in the middle of the street caught their attention. Waterguard groaned, "NOW what?" Fireguard drew his sword defensively as the light began to disperse and a cloaked figure appeared where it had been.

It was a tall, muscular man. White hair tumbled off the top of his head and past his shoulders, setting off his blue skin somewhat. He was swathed in vermilion from head to boot, with a cloak of the same color draped around his shoulders. He was rather handsome, aside from the band around his head that had a patch covering his right eye.

"Well," he boomed, "you even had the means to overcome one of my minions in giant size. I severely underestimated you."

"Nani? Anata wa??" Forestguard demanded.

"Armag. Baron of the Garganstah empire and soon to be ruler of this world." He smirked confidently. Airguard aimed and fired the Hawkwing, but Armag just pointed his finger, and a bolt of electricity jumped out and disintegrated the arrow.

Armag laughed a mighty, evil laugh that seemed to echo off of the buildings around them. Arcs of evil power crackled around his body, and the Guardrangers shrunk back. Hellscar loomed over him threateningly, and Armag stopped, but it didn't seem like it was because of the giant metal dragon facing him down.

"You're a concern after all, Eternal Sentai Guardranger. And you can be assured I'll devote all my power to wiping you out." With that, he turned and walked down the street away from them. As he did, he faded until he was completely gone.

So, their enemy had revealed himself. This would not be an easy struggle. But with Fireguard back by their side and now aided by Hellscar, they knew they stood a chance.


	4. Episode 4: Slumbering Evil! Secret in th...

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Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 4: Slumbering Evil! Secret in the Earth!

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

Naoko sat at her desk in the Terralogical Institute in quiet contemplation. She'd been allowed to return from the institute's expedition to discover the nature of an immense buried object out in the wilderness after a snake-like monster had attacked it some time ago, and they saw to increasing security at the site just in case.

But she wasn't thinking about her work. Her thoughts were more on her "other job," as Earthguard, a member of the Eternal Sentai Guardranger. They'd gotten off to a rocky start, but things were starting to level out now. Fireguard had pretty much stopped complaining about how it bit into his free time, and they had a powerful new ally with the arrival of his Guard Beast. But seeing the face of their enemy, that had been disconcerting. He oozed power and malice. She saw his laughing face when she closed her eyes.

She rose from her desk went to get a drink of water. Ever since she'd seen Armag, Naoko had been feeling kind of on edge. It was that somehow, despite everything that was going right for the Guardrangers, she could feel that something terrible was going to happen soon.

At work it was the worst. There she felt like someone was stalking her. Just waiting until the moment when she was at her most defenseless to jump out of the shadows and attack. As she filled and downed a cup of purified water, a coworker walked by and observed her condition, but tactfully said nothing. Another person snuck up behind her and Naoko jumped a foot when he laid his hand on her shoulder. She almost flipped him before recognizing who he was.

"Oh, Takeo," she said, clutching at her racing heart, that omnipresent childish grin of his on his face. "What are you doing here?"

The grin faded, "Is that the thanks I get after spending hours behind the wheel to come out here and see you?"

She sighed, "Takeo, I've been going through a lot of changes lately. Big changes. And I don't know why but I'm worried about something…"

He cocked his head, "What are you worried about?"

"I can't really explain it. I'm just…afraid that something bad is going to happen soon…"

"Tochiro! Over here, dude!" Jason's anxious voice carried across the basketball court to where his brown-haired friend was being hemmed in half-heartedly from the front by Ryuji. Tochiro side-stepped to the left slightly, throwing off Ryuji's blocking motion in the same direction, then darted to the right, passing the ball to Jason, who caught it in both hands as he bounded down the few steps down the court towards the other end. He sprang into the air, and slammed the ball through the hoop with a huge, victorious grin on his face.

"Yatta!" Tochiro whooped. "Good one, Jason!"

Jason grinned back, hanging in mid-air from the rim of the basket for a minute, then swung his legs up into a backflip, and landed flawlessly on the court in front of Tochiro, who'd walked up to meet him for a high-five.

"I knew you were something else in the water, Jason, but you're pretty good on land, I see," Tochiro smiled, punching Jason's arm.

Jason laughed. "Hey, I get by. But you, dude…you're pretty good for a guy who spends so much time working on trees and stuff."

"Hey, you make it sound like I don't know how to have fun," Tochiro drawled, taking a playful swing at Jason's chest. Jason swung back eagerly, enjoying the light-hearted moment between them. Things had been unbelievably serious for a while and there was still an undercurrent of unease in the air, but it wasn't enough for Jason to turn down a little fun with his new buddy and his best friend. Speaking of which…

"Ryu! Hey, dude, you gonna let this guy beat up on--" Jason trailed off, his eyes roaming over the court. "Ryu? Hey, Ryuji! Where'd you go, man?"

Tochiro tapped Jason's shoulder and pointed to the court's other side. "Over there."

Ryuji sat in in contemplative silence beneath a tree at the edge of the basketball court, his arms wrapped around both his knees and his chin resting on them in thought, a light breeze blowing through his red tank top. His mind hadn't been on the game--or much of anything else to be honest--so he'd walked off the court after Tochiro had gotten past him. His thoughts kept casting themselves back--back to the fight the day before with Arbast and the emergence of the Guard Beast, Hellscar. _His_ Guard Beast. It had been a frightening experience. Like anyone with sense would feel about seeing a giant metal dragon flying out of the ground and coming straight at them. But the fear he'd felt faded as soon as he and the dragon reached out to each other with a connection that ran down to the pits of both their souls. And that bond enabled them to finally destroy Arbast. During that moment, he felt a emotional bond to the great beast. He considered him not just as an ally, but a friend, a missing part of his own soul. That's what it had been. But the experience left Ryuji with more questions than answers. After Armag had disappeared, Hellscar, for a reason Ryuji couldn't understand, shut down the empathic connection between them and abruptly returned to his resting place. Ryuji reached out with his mind and soul to Hellscar, only to be blocked on both levels by the Guard Beast. Moments before the great dragon took flight and returned to his resting place, Ryuji had called to him.

_Matte! Don't go! _

**…I AM…SORRY…**

Nanda? For what? What's wrong? What do you have to be sorry about?

**…ASK…THE WIZARD…**

_Ask the wizard? Was he talking about Bes? Hellscar…What were you trying to tell me? Why did you sound so…sad? What's the hell's going on? _

The rapid motion of a hand flattening itself against the top of Ryuji's head and rustling his hair shook him out of his thoughts. "Nani?" Ryuji looked up abruptly, and saw the bright blue of Jason's eyes looking back at him.

"Hey, you still in there, bro?" Jason asked, right eyebrow quirked up, a curious expression on his face.

"Yes and no," Ryuji replied absently. "I've been thinking about things, is all."

"Daijoubu?" Tochiro sat down on Ryuji's right side. "Thinking about what?"

__

"Hellscar,"Ryuji said, almost to himself. "I can't get him out of my mind."

"Hey, it'd been kinda hard not to, man." Jason stretched himself out on the grass on Ryuji's left. "I mean, I heard sentai teams always have some kind of heavy duty mecha, but that thing--wow. It was something else."

"Hellscar's not an 'thing', Jase," Ryuji came back. "I know he looked like a robot and all that, but whatever he else he is, he's a living, thinking entity. He…" Ryuji paused for a second, as if he didn't quite believe what he was about to say. Then he continued, "he talked to me, guys."

"Nanda? When??" Tochiro asked.

"After we beat Arbast. Right before he disappeared, he told me…that he felt whole."

Jason's expression was dubious. "Wait a minute…he talked to you? How? I didn't hear him say anything. Come to think of it, I didn't hear _you_ say anything, either, Ryu."

Ryuji nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know. It was like…I don't know…like he was tuned into my head--my soul, I guess…" Ryuji sighed. "It sounds corny, I know, but I can't explain it any other way."

"Did he say anything else?" Jason queried.

"Kind of…" Ryuji stood up, his eyes trained on nothing in particular. "I tried to get to tell me more, but all he said was 'ask the wizard'. Three guesses who _that_ is."

Jason frowned in thought. "Well, why didn't Bes say anything about him? Why'd he keep us in the dark?"

Ryuji shook his head. "I don't know. Hellscar didn't say anything else. He was hiding something, I could tell that much--it was…like he was ashamed or something. There was this huge wave of sadness coming off of him. It was weird, because he was glad to see me at first. Like he…like he knew me. Like I was his best friend in the whole world."

Jason and Tochiro looked at each other, both at a loss for words.

"And there's something else I've been wondering, " Ryuji said, turning to look at his two friends, "am I the only one of us who's got a Guard Beast?"

"What are you saying, Ryuji?" Tochiro blinked. "You think there's more than one?"

"Tochiro, it makes sense if you consider it…c'mon, don't tell me you guys weren't thinking the same thing." Ryuji gestured toward him and Jason. "Think about it…if these guys we're fighting are such bad-asses, wouldn't it make sense if there was more than one Guard Beast out there to help us when we needed it? Y'know, one for each of us or something? That's the way it goes in teams like ours." He looked over at Jason. "Right, Jase?"

"Dude, you're asking **_me_**?" Jason looked abashed. "I'm American, remember? I'm a bigger rookie than you guys."

Ryuji sighed, "Well, since we've seen the enemy now, I don't think it'd hurt to find out what all's in our hand. As soon as I can I'm going down to the Earth Sanctum to get Bes to explain this. I'll see you later, guys. "

Jason nodded. "Later, bro."

"He's changed quite I bit," Tochiro whispered to Jason as Ryuji got up to leave.

"Yup. But I always knew he had it in him somewhere, man. He's our leader. It's his job to know what we need to win."

"It was sudden, though," Tochiro replied.

"Bes just knows how to convince people, I guess. I don't know what he did but it worked. And I'm glad it did."

"Because the team's complete now?"

"That too, but I was getting tired of his whining about this cutting into his time too," Jason said wryly. Tochiro just shook his head.

Armag sat in silent contemplation in his cavernous hideout. His henchmen--what remained of them-- stayed well away from him while he was doing this. Armag was calm and in complete control most of the time, but absolutely could not stand being interrupted during times of intense thought and planning. 

It seemed the longer it took to deal with them, the more powerful the Guardrangers became. But he couldn't afford to take much longer to eradicate them. He would be trailed to Earth soon enough, and if he hadn't gained control of the ancient object buried in the ground by then, he was as good as dead.

But he couldn't just send in another monster and try to take it again. Surely the Guardrangers would find out and just stop it cold. But…yes, that must be the problem.

All the monsters of his who'd fought the Guardrangers had relied on brute force, and failed because of it. Yet, if he could outwit them and force them to fight his minions on his own turf…yes, that could definitely work.

Armag rose and went over to a pyramidal crystal embedded in the cavern wall. He stared intently at it, and said commandingly, "Araka, attend me! Our leader commands your presence before him!" 

The air in the chamber rippled like a thrown rock breaking through water, and a tall figure stepped out of the disturbance. He was wiry and somewhat thin, but powerfully built, with deathly white skin under-toned slightly with gray, his fingers long and tapered at the ends with sharp nails. His eyes were cat-like and glassy jet black like two pools of spilled oil. He came before Armag and bowed slightly in reverence.

"Yes, Lord Armag?" came the reply.

"The situation is deteriorating, Araka," Armag said darkly. "The Rangers powers are greater than I anticipated. And now with the summoning of this creature--Hellscar, the balance of power is tipping in their favor. I cannot afford any further failures or delays; I must seize the power I covet while I still can." 

"I assume a direct assault at the excavation site, given Garmanda's lack of success, is out of the question," Araka inquired.

"Yes. And even if we could, I would not resort to a tactic like that. I've too little resources left to indulge in fruitless behavior. No, what I require is a more…subtle approach to the problem." Armag nodded to Araka. "That is where you come in, Araka. You infiltration skills are second-to-none, and perfectly suited for this task.

"Which is..?" Araka prompted. Armag's left eye pulsed electric blue as an insidious smile formed on his lips.

"Infiltration," he said. "Then search, seizure, and finally… and most enjoyably…destruction."

Miaka set down her bag as she took her seat in class the next morning. All of the students she'd passed on the way in were buzzing about something. About the monster who'd been robbing stores across the city for days, but who had grown to giant size and been stopped cold by a giant metal dragon. The rumor was already going around that a new sentai was in town.

She looked down at the ornate bracelet on her wrist and smiled. Of course, she knew it was anything but a rumor. The chatter inside the classroom brought Miaka's attention back to normal. It was even louder than usual. Everywhere she looked there was a debate going on about the mystery sentai-in-question. It seemed like everyone had their own opinions about them.

Miaka had been a great admirer of previous sentai in their time; the Megarangers, the Gingamen, even the mysterious Timerangers. People blessed with a fantastic honor and duty, and now it turned out she was one of them herself. It was like a dream come true. Ever since she'd been a fan of the teams that saved Japan and the rest of the world from invasion time and again, Miaka had wondered what it would be like to be a member of one. All the awesome secrets and abilities one was privy to, the thrills and challenges, the adulation of the people…Well, she'd soon find out now.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, "Hey Miaka, everyone's saying there's a new sentai around." She looked over her shoulder; it was the familiar stout figure of her friend Noremi. She wasn't quite fat, but definitely on the receiving end of stocky. Still, there was something appealing about her nonetheless. Boys followed her around, and she didn't mind one bit. Miaka was at a loss to explain it, and they'd been friends for seven years.

"So I hear," Miaka said, trying to sound nonchalant and innocent about them, "Does anyone know their name yet?"

"Not yet," Noremi replied, taking her seat next to Miaka, "They just show up and then disappear when the job's done."

"Well, that doesn't sound odd for people like them. Everyone likes their privacy, right? After a day of fighting monsters who wants to come home to the paparazzi camped out on your front lawn?" Miaka said. _Hey, this secret identity stuff was easy!_

"You did, last time I heard. How's that singing career coming?"

"It's just something to do, Noremi."

"No it's not. Every day of the week you spend an hour with your voice instructor. Every time we and the others go out to do something, you want to go to a karaoke place. All your spending money goes into CD's. It isn't just something to do. Not for you."

It was true. Miaka had loved singing all her life, even longer than she'd been a fan of sentai teams. She had wanted nothing more than to become famous doing it for a living, and the drive pushing her toward that goal had pretty much ruled her life until a little while ago. When a stranger had put that bracelet in her hand and told her of the duty she had never known was hers. That revelation had been dominating her thoughts of late.

"Well, to be totally honest I haven't thought about it much lately…Something big came up. I'm spending more of my time on that, now."

"Oh? What is it?" Noremi asked.

Miaka signed inwardly. Of course couldn't tell Noremi that she was Airguard, member of the latest team to fight evil under the super sentai banner. That she was living the dream of many a youth. This was like a weed in a garden of roses to her; not being able to tell her best friend about this great honor.

__

"I wish I could tell you, Noremi. But I can't. It's…personal."

"Oh." Noremi looked disappointed. At that moment the bell rang and the teacher sauntered into the room. "Look, Miaka, I respect your privacy, but you can tell me anything and I won't make a big deal out of it. You know that."

"I know. But this is way different, Noremi. And it's the only bad thing about it for me…"

The school day came and went quickly, which was perfectly to Miaka's liking; her mind had been anywhere and everywhere _but_ in class today. Noremi had tried to get her to explain what she had been talking about that morning, but Miaka had insisted--diplomatically, of course--that she couldn't discuss it any further. Noremi finally relented and the two girls parted ways for the day. Miaka was relieved that school would be closed for a few days; the word had had come over the school intercom that there was a problem with the school's electrical system that would take almost a week to fix, and it would require shutting down most of the building's facilities. She wasn't heartbroken at hearing _that_ little revelation, but what to do with all the free time, though?

After a few minutes of walking and riding the wind tunnels, Miaka found herself standing outside the doors of the Terralogical Institute, remembering that Naoko had said this was where she worked, a few miles outside the city. She stood there for a minute, debating whether or not to go in and check on her. Miaka wasn't totally sure, but it seemed as if Naoko had been a bit out of sorts about something. She hadn't really had the chance to address it before this--fighting for your life against a fire-breathing monster did that to a person, but it was obvious Naoko's mind had been elsewhere for a while. But what caused it? That was the question.

_Hmmm…why not? I haven't got anything else to do right now. Maybe a little girl talk's just what the doctor needs. _Miaka smiled walked across the street toward the Institute, a light-hearted spring in her step.

Naoko was still trying to figure out the readings and measurements the team had taken back at the site of the strange subterranean object. It was driving her crazy trying to figure out what it could be. All she had been able to figure out was that it was large--the size of a small city--and roundish in shape. And it had to be something very dangerous if Garganstah wanted it so badly. She had to find out what it was as soon as possible.

If only she could focus, though. Whenever she tried to concentrate on the figures on her desk, she saw the malevolent face of Armag, his cold, heartless laughter drifted against the inner walls of her mind. To make matters worse, she could still feel the faint traces and phantom pains Arbast's ruthless attack had dealt her in the last battle. Remembered how she'd lain there defeated and insensate as the others subdued the fire-breathing menace. 

She shoved it away with an irritated sigh; she had to find out the nature of this…object or whatever it was before it was too late.

So focused on her task and visions was she that she hardly noticed Takeo when he came back in, having been called away to check something out back in the city earlier. Even though she had to clear him to enter the institute and was supposed to keep an eye on him while he was inside. She didn't even look up at him as he walked to the side of her desk and coughed to get her attention.

"Naoko? C'mon, talk to me…what's wrong?" Takeo urged from his standing position from behind Naoko's desk. "What're you so weirded out over?"

Naoko looked at him surprised. "You have to ask? After what happened a little while ago?"

"Nani?" Takeo looked blank. "Whaddya mean 'what happened a little while ago'?"

Naoko stared incredulously at him. "Kami-sama, have you been on another planet? You haven't heard about the monster?"

He shook his head. "Naoko, I had to go out of town on business right after I met up with a buddy in Ueno Park. Then after I got back, I had my hands full with showing him around my apartment, and then I had a truckload of stuff from work to handle on top of--wait a minute…monster? What monster??"

Naoko found it a little hard to believe that Takeo hadn't heard anything about Arbast running riot through the city, even before he'd gone giant on her and the other Guardrangers, but the more she told Takeo about the chaos from the day before, the more surprised he looked about it. By the time she'd finished, he looked absolutely floored.

"Kami-sama…and the guys who fought that thing…they were another sentai team?" he asked. "Which ones were they? GoGo V? Gaorangers?"

"No, this was a new group entirely," Naoko replied, pretending to be just as in the dark as he was. "No one even knows their names yet, but apparently the leader summoned a dragon to destroy the thing after it turned into a giant. A red dragon from what the newspapers and television reports said."

"Yow…" Takeo muttered. "I really _have_ been out of touch. I mean, I saw the some kind of clean up crew out today when I went to work, but I didn't know it was something like that. Was anybody hurt?"

"There were casualties, yes, but I'm not sure how many." Naoko said, sighing heavily. " I suppose we should be used to this by now--it's like some kind of law of nature."

"Yeah, I guess so. No wonder you're so shook up. It seems like just as soon as we get through with one evil group planning to take over the world another one shows up. Why can't we get any peace?"

"Gives the kids someone to look up to," Naoko said, almost without realizing it.

"Oh yeah?" Takeo said, as if he realized Naoko knew something she wasn't telling him, "What do you know about these guys anyway? Seems you've heard a lot about them."

Naoko almost exploded. Such a probing question while she was feeling so edgy was the last thing she needed. But she had to stay collected. Takeo couldn't be allowed to suspect anything.

"Oh, not much yet," she said, desperately hoping Takeo didn't notice the mild quaver in her voice, "Just the usual rumors that start going around whenever a new conflict arises around here. I'm sure we'll find out more about them soon enough. Everyone needs a while to get established."

Takeo chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, that's definitely true. Took me plenty of time and hard work to get established."

"And what do you do again?" Naoko asked, realizing she'd honestly forgotten. Takeo had only told her once, when they first met. She said it as if she was only half-aware that he was there.

Takeo shrugged. "I'm just an office crony. Nothing special."

"Funny," Naoko intoned with more than a little suspicion, "that fancy car you drive and all the time you seem to have to spend around me says otherwise…"

Takeo squirmed, but before Naoko could say anything else, she felt an unearthly force brush against her mind. It was a weird but familiar sensation. It meant another Guardranger was reaching out to make mental contact with her.

_Who's there?_ Naoko called out across the ethereal bond between the Guardrangers that allowed them to touch souls like this. What could be happening? Was there another attack already? It had only been a day since the last one. Surely they'd still be recouping their losses…

_Naoko? Are you all right?_ Miaka's mental voice echoed from the void.

_Miaka? Has something happened? What's wrong? _

Well, nothing actually…but you seemed kind of distracted last time so I thought I'd see how you were.

_ And it never occurred to you to just pick up the telephone, and call like everyone else? I'm busy with very important work, Miaka! I don't have time for this!_ Naoko said, more forcefully than she really meant.

_Yikes--down, girl,_ Miaka replied, completely unfazed, _Can't push ourselves so hard we burn out. What good are we then?_

As Naoko was about to reply, she was distracted as the lights suddenly flickered and then went out. And an inhuman, sepulchral laugh began to resonate from every corner of the room. The sound began to focus into the center of the room, and Naoko, Takeo, and all the staffers of the Terralogical Institute in the room looked toward the source of the laughing. A low hum filled in the spaces between the gasps and fearful murmurs as a growing corona of electric blue congealed into being, tendrils of power sparking and snapping like a pack of angry snakes. A mouth appeared in the middle of the maelstrom, and twisted into a malevolent mockery of a smile as it gaped open in time to the laughs. A powerful, muscular frame began to materialize along with it, and Naoko felt her legs go weak and a frisson of icy apprehension washed down her back as the familiar figure emerged, wild energy rolling off of him in waves.

It was Armag, in all his wicked splendor. Somehow he had found her. But she was paralyzed…what could she possibly do against him?

Ryuji descended the steps into the Earth Sanctum, his mind still casting thoughts about Hellscar back and forth. This time he hadn't even worried about someone seeing him vanishing into thin air as he'd entered. Since he'd begun to accept what he was destined for, everything had gone a lot more smoothly for him. Everything was squared away at the Golden Bushel for a while, no stores of ingredients to refill or employees' wages to worry about, so he hadn't worried about leaving during the middle of the day to "take a walk."

The lights came on in the main room as Ryuji entered. The multihued sparks within Beservor's globe began to dart around and recoil off the sides more frenetically, too. _"Hello, Fireguard. What brings you here today?"_

"Actually, Bes, I need to know more about Hellscar. I tried to make contact with him after we stopped Arbast, but he wouldn't talk to me. I felt some kind of vibe coming off of him--like he was ashamed of something. But he wouldn't tell me what it was. He said I should ask you."

The ancient wizard's mental sigh was all too audible in the empty chamber's confines, and Ryuji had the feeling that there was something deeper at the end of all this. "It is a… complicated story, Fireguard. It goes back to when we first fought Garganstah…"

"Hey, I've got plenty of time, Bes." Ryuji took a seat at one of the chairs lying around the room to listen. "Lay it on me."

"Shortly after the Garganstah first threatened mankind, and the Guardrangers were created to defend it , the planet gave rise to a living supernatural avatar, whose power embodied the sum totality of the elemental from which it was born; the Guard Beasts, as they later became known, were created to be the companion of each Guardranger, to aid them in battle when their own powers were not enough."

"So each of us_ does_ have their own beast." Ryuji nodded.

"Yes, and in the war thousands of years ago they were invaluable allies. But they grew to be much more. As time went on, each of you formed an empathic bond with your respective Guard Beast that ran to the depths your souls. You have felt this with Hellscar, obviously. But, after you died…"

Beservor was interrupted as Ryuji felt that tingle of souls touching, another Guardranger crying out to him through his mind. It was a small, plaintive, but desperate voice.

It was Miaka._ Miina, come quick! Something's wrong at the lab where Naoko works! I can't get in and she isn't answering me anymore! Hayakuu!_

Ryuji looked up at Beservor, and realized he'd have to wait to hear the rest of this. "I guess we gotta table this for right now, Bes," Ryuji shoved himself out of his seat, heading for the stairs that led to the surface. "I'm gonna need a lift." Once he was back outside, a wind tunnel opened to carry him to the Terralogical Institute.

Miaka paced the sidewalk outside the Terralogical Institute like an expectant father. She almost felt as if she was being punished for being dumb enough to come to check up on Naoko and risking their identities like this, the way everything had gone south just as she'd made contact. She'd been standing outside, knowing better than to go in and talk to Naoko face to face. How suspicious would that have been, after all? But suddenly all the lights in the windows had gone dark and a cage of lightning erupted above it and formed bars of blue-white electricity that cracked and sizzled before her now. She breathed a sigh of relief when Ryuji, Jason and Tochiro appeared over a hill and ran to her side.

Miaka…what's happening?" Ryuji said, even though it was plain to him that it had something to do with the barricaded building in front of them.

"Naoko didn't seem like herself in the last fight so I came to check up on her when school got called off today. But as soon as I got hold of her, that giant industrial- strength bug zapper appeared around the building."

"Garganstah…" Ryuji muttered, "Well, I guess we all know what to do." 

They nodded and raised their Guardbraces, voices ringing together.

"FIRE… FOCUS!

"FOREST… FOCUS!"

"WATER…FOCUS!"

"AIR …FOCUS!" 

At the spoken commands, the familiar elemental spectacle flared to life, and when it passed, the Guardrangers stood in uniform, ready to break into the Terralogical Institute.

But the question was how, though? The cage of lightning looked powerful enough to do a number even on them. Fireguard looked up, his eyes raking the area for a possible source of the energy surrounding the building. There, he saw a bulky-looking crystal, hued in every color imaginable floating in mid-air above the second story of the building and releasing the ferocious impulses of electricity.

"So how do we take it out, guys?" Waterguard asked, turning to Fireguard. "Water and electricity…not exactly a copasetic situation, y'know?"

"Jase, you've been playing that stupid game _way _too much. I guarantee it doesn't work that way on you," the Ranger in red said, then turned to his green-clad ally. "Tochiro," he said to his green-clad ally, "you think you can smack that thing with the Gorilla Vine?"

Forestguard nodded and raised his weapon, "Of course. I'm just worried about whether or not I can break it with this." Nonetheless, he cocked back his arm and swung. The Gorilla Vine's thick, barbed metallic cable lashed out and snapped through the air toward the source of the barrier. The tip snapped against the side of the crystal with a satisfying crack. A cluster of shards fell off from where the Gorilla Vine had struck the crystal and clattered noisily to the pavement. The lightning stopped flowing from the crystal, but it continued to hover where it was, despite the fractures now visible where the Gorilla Vine had hit it.

"All right. Guess we can go in now," Fireguard said, moving to enter the front door. But as he took his first step, the crystal began to hum and throb angrily. Then, without warning, it dove at his head!

"HEY!" Fireguard rolled to one side just in time and the crystal swooped back up into the air, where it hung in the air and began to shake as if angry with itself for missing. Then it stopped. Airguard nocked an arrow into her bow to take care of the thing once and for all, and let it fly. A bolt of lightning sprung out of the crystal and destroyed the shaft in mid-flight.

"Oh, _great! _I guess trying to outrun that thing's outta the question?" Waterguard called as he swerved to the side.

"Yeah, I'd say so!" Fireguard yelled back. "I've got a nasty feeling that it might try and follow us inside, and that'd make the people inside targets too!" He readied the Dragon Steel and went into a defensive position. "We're gonna have to take it out first before we go in there, guys!" Fireguard concentrated for a moment, then the edge of his katana burst into flame, strengthening its already lethal power.

The crystal hummed maliciously in response, then began raining down scorching bolts of lightning toward the Guardrangers.

Armag stood in the main office area of the Terralogical Institute. Even the staff who hadn't been in the room had come to see what that inhuman laughing was about. And immediately wishing they hadn't.

Dr. Amasada had come into the crowded room just then, wondering what the commotion was all about. "What's the meaning of all this?? Naoko, what's happening in here?" But before she could even start to offer an explanation…

"I apologize for the sudden disruption in your work schedule, ladies and gentlemen," Armag remarked lightly, "but your establishment has been investigating something of great interest to me. I trust you will most forthcoming in providing me with the necessary knowledge I require to obtain it. That is, if you wish to continue living."

A wave of fear swept its way through the room at Armag's words. The tension in the air was so thick, it felt like a solid wall weighing everyone down. Naoko was unnerved in spite of herself, and all the self-doubt that had been plaguing her mind of late wasn't helping. She instinctively drew her left hand over her Guardbrace, taking some small comfort in its presence against her wrist. However, seeing as how she couldn't use it without exposing herself, the comfort was a cold one.

Her mind raced back and forth trying to think of some way of evening the odds. She noticed that Armag's eyes kept straying back to her every so often for some reason, even though she'd pretended not to notice it. She had no idea why, but maybe she could use that to her advantage. 

"And you expect us to just hand over the last few months of our findings and research just because you make a flashy entrance and start barking out orders?" Naoko said pitching her voice toward Armag with an authority she didn't necessarily feel. "You're very bold making a demand like that."

"Something we have in common, I could say," Armag snarled. "Araka!" A shifty-looking man walked calmly out of the crowd and sidled up to Armag. Naoko vaguely recalled that he'd started working at the institute around when she'd met Takeo a couple of months ago, but he'd steered clear of everyone as much as he could. A moment later she knew why.

He was a short, slight man, but suddenly his body began to bulge and change. His hair fell out and his skin turned gray. His clothes melted and shifted into armor. Within instants, he had become a colossus, with glistening ray skin, eight feet tall and with armor the color of blood and obsidian covering his body. Araka leered threateningly at the assembled staff.

"My associate, Araka has informed me of your discovery and interest in a giant, buried object out in the countryside. But, unfortunately, he has not been able to provide me with the most specific information you have acquired on its nature. Which is where the lot of you come in. Now…are you willing to part with what I require…or must I force the information from your lips myself?" Armag asked coolly.

"You _talk_ plenty tough," someone said, "But I bet it's just an act." All eyes turned toward where the voice had come from, and there stood Takeo. Armag screwed up his face in both astonishment and disgust and reached out toward the young man. Takeo ducked under the grab and whipped out a snap kick that could've flattened a normal person, but Armag blocked with surprising speed and smacked Takeo across the room. Araka grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. The warrior smashed his fist into Takeo's stomach, and his world swiftly went black. Araka dropped him roughly, his forehead slapping the floor as his unconscious body slumped over. It took all of Naoko's will to restrain herself from reacting too severely.

Armag narrowed his eyes into tight slits. He hadn't really expected resistance. He knew there was a Guardranger somewhere in this building. He'd been able to detect them just before their power had awakened. But even though the Guardrangers were his only possible threat--Araka's disposal of that tough-talking upstart had proved that--the one here wouldn't dare to reveal themselves in front of all these witnesses.

But then he looked out the window, and saw that the bars of electricity that had been isolating the building were gone. "I thought you set everything up like I told you!" he barked at Araka.

"I did!" Araka protested. Even he seemed afraid of Armag's displeasure.

"You'd better go make sure then, hadn't you?" Araka nodded and dashed out of the room. Meanwhile, Armag scanned the crowd before him, trying to pick out who was in charge. One staffer turned to run as soon as Armag's gaze left him, but the villain raised his hand, a merciless shockwave of violent blue light striking the fleeing staffer squarely in the back. His muscles seized up and a painful **crack** went through the room, then he slumped to the floor, motionless. "And the same will happen to anyone else who doesn't learn from my example," Armag said without missing a beat.

Naoko shivered involuntarily. She didn't dare henshin. There were almost thirty people in the room, people who knew her by name and birth date. She'd never hear the end of it if she changed now. Naoko tried to calm herself--not easy in the presence of this nightmarish figure who stalked her dreams, and then tried to reach out and touch souls with the others. But something was wrong. Across the mystical ether she couldn't seem to locate them, as if they were too busy with something to notice her trying to make contact. But Naoko kept trying. The others had to know that their enemy was here…

The air exploded with the tremendous force of the lightning that was raining down from the airborne crystal toward the Guardrangers, keeping them at bay as they ducked and rolled out of the way of the blasts, all the while looking desperately for some kind of opening in its defenses.

Fireguard jumped high into the air, brandishing his flaming katana and intent on using it to smash the crystal to dust. Just as he was about to swing the Dragon Steel, however, the crystal fired a bolt straight into his chest, as if it could sense his intentions. Fireguard was knocked back in a wave of sparks and fell to the ground, stunned.

Water and Forestguard readied themselves to attack it at the same time. Waterguard hurled his Orca Brand at the crystal from one side like a javelin, while Forestguard swung the vicious Gorilla Vine at it from the opposite side. But again, the crystal seemed able to read their thoughts. It loosed two pulses at once, knocking the Orca Brand out of the air and blasting Water and Forestguard off their feet. The Gorilla Vine retracted it before it had a chance to hit.

This left only Airguard, who some would think was the least of them, able to continue fighting. But she was no weak-willed little girl. She had been given a great duty, a great honor. And she was determined to be worthy of it. She refused to fear this infernal thing that had decimated her friends. Somehow, she would overcome it.

The crystal fired at her, but in the blink of an eye she had spread her arms and taken to the sky like a bird of prey. It tracked her and fired again, but she pulled out the Hawkwing and held it above like a lightning rod. When the lightning burst struck the bow, it was diffused harmlessly. And before the crystal could fire again, she nocked an arrow, and took aim. Her voice rose in volume and pitch, a reverberating echo building behind it as she summoned her strength, luminous white light growing against the tip of the arrow.

"HAWK SOUL SNIPER!" She shouted and fired, putting all of her power into that arrow. The glowing shaft screamed toward the crystal, carrying a violent rush of air in its wake, hitting it dead-center and shattering it into a million infinitesimal pieces.

"YATTA!!" she cried, feeling like a cheerleader as she threw her arms up in the air in victory. The others began to stir back on the ground, and she dropped back down.

Miina, daijoubu?" she asked.

"I feel like I got hit by a wrecking ball, but I think so. Nice work up there." Fireguard replied. Water and Forestguard achingly climbed to their feet as well. They were unharmed now but for a sharp tingling from the electricity that was quickly fading. The rangers turned their attention to the Terralogical Institute. Nothing gave them any trouble as they walked up to the double doors in the front and pushed them open.

The building was eerily quiet as they entered. Somehow this seemed worse to them than all the Garganstah forces lying in wait to blast them into the middle of next week as soon as they set foot in the place. Waterguard thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look it was gone. He shivered involuntarily.

"Guys, I'm gettin' seriously creeped here," he muttered, moving closer to Forestguard. A wave of icy unease crept up his back.. "This whole thing smells like a set-up."

"Same here. Maybe we should spread out and see if we can find the people in here," Forestguard said, but Fireguard shook his head.

"We should stick together, guys. Judging by how much trouble that thing outside gave us, anything else Garganstah's set up to take care of intruders will probably take everything we've got to deal with it."

"Well, there's a truism if ever I've heard one!" a harsh voice growled just before a wiry, but hulking shape hurled itself out of the shadows and tackled him. It was Araka, and he lifted Fireguard and threw him across the spacious lobby before the hero could stop him. Fireguard slammed into the wall painfully, but rolled to his feet and brandished the Dragon Steel.

"You must've wrecked my Tempest Prism to get in here. That was my favorite toy…well, I'll simply return the favor--by wrecking the bunch of _you_ in return!" The Guardrangers didn't give him the chance to try to make good on that threat, they attacked.

But Araka made no move to stop them. In fact, he smirked as they charged towards him brandishing their weapons. And he had good reason to. He snapped his fingers and the floor opened up beneath Forestguard, and he fell into a pit of some kind of thick, gluey muck to which he found himself stuck fast, not to mention sinking slowly.

Araka shot a nasty look at Waterguard, and a swarm of U-shaped metal darts shot out of the wall, catching the blue warrior's arms and legs pinning him against the far wall.

_I so love these psychic traps_, Araka mused as Airguard and Fireguard continued barreling toward him. _You_ _just have to think about them hard enough and they trigger._ And he did so once again, the carpet in the center of the room suddenly unraveling and the threads snaking out and wrapping around the two Rangers. They fell to the floor, tied back to back in a cocoon of thread as strong as steel cable. And Araka, pleased with his handiwork, closed in for the kill…

Naoko wondered if she might be better off calling upon her power now, regardless of what her coworkers would think, than waiting for Armag to get through interrogating them all. A pile of her unconscious fellow staffers was growing bigger in one corner of the room each time one of them refused to tell Armag what he wanted to know or claimed to have no idea. The rest of them sat against the wall as they waited their turn, Naoko in absolute dread of Armag and his power.

She tried to reach out to the other Rangers again. They felt much closer now, almost as if a few rooms away. But it still seemed as if they were too occupied with something else to hear her. But perhaps that was a good sign? Yes, it had to be. Armag had said how someone had destroyed the electric barrier around the building and his flunky had gone off to check. Miaka had been around when the building had been taken over in the first place, so no doubt her teammates were somewhere nearby…probably fighting the monster who had left not long ago.

"You!" Armag bellowed, snapping Naoko back to her immediate surroundings. He was pointing at Dr. Amasada. Clearly the doctor's turn had come to tell Armag what he wanted to know or get a shock he'd never forget.

"You look like the man in charge. What do you know about the buried object that you've been investigating?" Armag demanded.

"You answer my question first," Dr. Amasada said defiantly, "Why are _you_ so are interested in it?" Naoko smiled slightly. Dr. Amasada was a tough old bird, no doubt about it. Armag had the power in his muscles alone to break the old scientist's spine with blow, and Amasada wasn't showing the least sign of fear. Quite the opposite of what she felt.

"Power, old man, the ultimate in destruction. The Death Gar. An ancient stronghold that will give me all I require to bring this planet to its knees and render me invincible against all my enemies."

"Then what makes you think I'll help you get that kind of power?"

"Whether or not you cooperate is entirely up to you, my good man. I simply need to find out if I've been wasting my time targeting that site, and if so, where that fortress really is. My equipment isn't powerful to verify it, and enemies--worse by far than those Guardrangers are on their way. I mean to be ready for them," Armag said, impatience heavily implied in his voice, "My little spy hasn't been able to get all the information I need …And you _will_ show me the readings you've taken of that buried object …or there will be blood shed here today. Yours…" Armag broke off, slowly gesturing to the crowd of conscious and unconscious people in the room before speaking again, "and Theirs."

"Never," Dr. Amasada said calmly. Armag scowled and drew an evil-looking sword, and suddenly slashed out with it and cut deep into the doctor's arm. He yelled in pain and toppled to the ground.

"Perhaps you'd care to re-think that decision?" Armag sneered

"NO," Amasada growled back. Armag raised his sword to strike again, but a less brave seismologist rose to his feet.

"Don't hurt him. I'll give you what we have on the object if you'll let us go," he said.

Armag smiled an evil smile, but nodded. The other scientist went and unlocked the area where restricted documents were kept, and Armag followed him in. A groan came from the corner as Takeo began to awaken. Naoko darted over and helped him up. "Man…what hit me?" he asked groggily.

"A fist bigger than you've ever seen," Naoko replied, looking down at him. Even in this state, bruised, battered and only half-conscious, he looked like he had a child's innocence and not a care in the world. But as he met her eyes there was a sudden look of maturity to him as well that she had never seen before.

"Naoko, I-" he coughed painfully, "I'm sorry I…didn't help things back there…" He said it as if, for the first time in his life, he saw things as seriously as Naoko always did. Naoko half-smiled and stroked his hair, wondering at this new side to him. For just a moment, the fact that she was trapped and in peril of her life seemed to fade away…

Araka lifted the bound Fire and Airguard into the air and, with a bellowing laugh, hurled them at Waterguard, pinned to the wall and unable to dodge as his two teammates smacked into his stomach and fell to the floor.

"Ugh…squashed into kingdom come by a killer carpet…so NOT the way I pictured meeting my maker someday," Airguard grumbled. It was clear she was trying to stay calm--hard as that was given the situation, but it amazed Fireguard that his younger teammate could still make jokes at a time like this. He couldn't help but admire her just then for that. "I don't suppose you've got anything up your sleeve to get us out of here?"

Fireguard replied with an anxious sigh. "I could ignite and burn our way out of this, but I'd get you, too…"

Airguard took a deep breath, steeling herself. Then she said, "Do it anyway."

"NANI??"

"We don't have any other way to get out of this…trust me, this is the last way I'd ever try to get a quick suntan, but it's either this or get crushed to death! So make with the heat before I come to my senses!"

Fireguard didn't like this. He was supposed to be looking out for his teammates, and spit-roasting one of them was about the farthest thing from it. But he saw no other way either, and quickly began to concentrate.

He focused the burning elemental force that allowed him to wreathe his weapons in flame, and this time used it to surround himself. His body began to heat up, not harming him at all, but to Airguard, pressed against his back, it felt like dozens of tiny needles were being jabbed into. The heat rose, in temperature and volume, increasing her anguish. Smoke began to rise from the threads binding, and the pain increased for Airguard. But she bore it silently, even as Fireguard's body became hundreds of degrees hotter and finally burst into flame with an explosive cloud of smoke that filled the room, destroying the cocoon around them.

Araka waved a taloned hand and coughed as he tried to see what was happening through the thick smoke now filling the room. Suddenly, Airguard came sailing at him, Eternablade in hand. Caught totally unaware, he was driven back as she slashed at his armored chest again and again, sparks flying back and forth.

Fireguard, meanwhile, set about rescuing his teammates. He lowered the Dragon Steel hilt-first into the pit where Forestguard was slowly sinking out of sight, and the green-clad warrior grabbed it just before his shoulders were about to go under. With all his strength Fireguard pulled him free, and the two of them quickly began yanking out the metal pins keeping Waterguard where he was.

Finally, Araka managed to overcome his surprise and lash out at Airguard with his fists, but the spry heroine jumped backwards and out of the way. He roared and charged, his traps in this area spent, but suddenly, through the quickly-fading smoke, a spiked cable snaked out and dug into his back very painfully before retreating out of sight. And then a trident flew out of the haze and dug its teeth into his abdomen. Finally the smoke cleared enough for him to see the source: the four Guardrangers, free and ready to fight back. He didn't care. He charged like an angry rhinoceros.

**"DRAGON HELLRISER!" **Fireguard went into his E-Factor, but this time instead of just slashing out with his katana, he launched his whole body forward into a spiraling attack, a flame-image of a dragon surrounding him as he flew like a missile into Araka. He landed a vicious blow on the monster, knocking him back a few steps but not hurting him much. Araka looked ready to run at them again, but Airguard was ready.

**"BOREAN BURST!" **Holding her hands out, the air around her gathered and compressed between them into a bullet of radiant, ivory energy. Without a moment's hesitation she hurled it at Araka, knocking him a good thirty feet away.

As the scientist was about to hand over the file with the information on the buried object to Armag, he paused. There was a raucous noise coming down the hall, as if something big and heavy was smashing through doors and anything its way as it approached them the room at terrible speed.

A moment later the doors leading into the room exploded open as Araka rocketed through the air where they'd been and finally came to rest in a heap on the floor of the room.

"Gods and minions …What's the meaning of this? Araka! What the devil's happening in there?!" Armag shouted. He didn't have to wait long for the answer, as the four Guardrangers entered seconds later looking to finish the job. Dr. Amasada, moving faster than you'd think a man in his mid-seventies could, jumped up and grabbed the file from the cowardly scientist. Armag struck out with his sword, and the doctor fell. Someone screamed, and complete pandemonium broke loose.

The staff of the Terralogical Institute took the opportunity to get up and run, and the room was filled with fleeing people as Armag frantically tried to decide what to deal with first— getting the information he needed or taking care of the Guardrangers. They didn't wait; Airguard jumped toward the others, who locked their arms together and formed a makeshift springboard. She landed on it, and they propelled her into the air for a perfect shot at Armag with the Hawkwing, which she took. The shaft screamed as it dug into the warrior's shoulder. But he would not fall. Though obviously in pain, Armag stared defiantly at Airguard with his one eye. Then he swiped his sword, a rain of lethal blue power slammed forth and knocked the four Rangers out a nearby window in a shower of sparks. He yanked the bloodied arrow out of his shoulder. Grabbing the folder he needed off the ground, he climbed out after the Rangers. Araka, slightly dazed, climbed to his feet and followed his master.

Naoko was about to run off to change and join her teammates, now that there was nothing keeping her in that one room with the witnesses. But then images of the last battle filled her mind. How the monster had easily humbled her, how much more power Armag himself must have. She couldn't do it. She didn't have the strength. All she could do was watch helplessly through the shattered window as Armag and his henchman laid into her comrades.

"I trust you've prepared the area outside as well, as I told you?" Armag said.

"Of course, Milord," Araka replied, concentrating on the traps he'd laid outside. A series of small dirt-covered masses rose in the ground around the Guardrangers, then exploded. Sparks and cries of pain went flying from them as they fell to the ground.

Airguard managed to right herself somewhat as she landed facing the institute, and saw Naoko looking out the window, and the helpless look on her face. There really was something wrong. Why wasn't she coming to help them? But the white-clad Ranger couldn't worry about it now. Achingly, she tried to rise. She wouldn't give up, no matter what, but Armag strode over quickly and swatted her down.

Takeo joined Naoko at the window. "Oh, man, they're gonna get trashed! Aren't there supposed to be five of them?"

"There were," Naoko said, looking down.

"Well, if I was the fifth one, I'd get my butt out there to help my friends. No way can they win by themselves," he said, as if he somehow knew the doubts that were plaguing her. And, also as if he knew, he gave her a deep, soulful glance and left the room.

Naoko looked out at the one-sided fight before her again, as the two villains pummeled her comrades. She realized she had to do something. Being a Guardranger was not about her, as she had said herself. It was about helping others, and the other Rangers would soon die without help. Something she'd said to Ryuji time and time again.

_Caught in my own trap…_she thought, humorlessly. She stared at her Guardbrace for an instant longer, then…

"EARTH…FOCUS!" she shouted, forgetting her fears, filling her thoughts instead with what she saw in Miaka. The girl who had been concerned about her, who had risen to fight even though she was badly hurt and badly outmatched. Miaka, the girl who knew what it really meant to have a position like theirs.

Energy poured into Naoko, forming a yellow uniform around her. Armag and Araka saw the otherworldly glow that surrounded her as she changed to something more than human, and saw Earthguard, come at last. 

"She's here! Deal with the others, Araka," Armag said, "the woman is mine**." **He strode toward Earthguard, who leaped out of the building to face him. 

"So…you found your spine, I see …all the better," Armag growled wickedly, "for me to break it in half!" 

Armag swung his vicious sword at her head, but she ducked and darted swiftly to the side, toward the spot where her friends lay. Without breaking stride, she whipped her Eternablade out and threw it at Araka. It grazed his arm, but it got his attention away from the others, which just what she wanted.

****

"Grizzly Claws!" she called out, sinking her hands into the ground that was the fulcrum of her power. Her weapons were revealed underneath the dirt and sand fragments as she smashed her hands together, and slashed ferociously at Araka. He towered over her, and was even more fearsome-looking than Arbast, but she none of that mattered. The battle was all that existed now; she had to stand up to this thing and not be intimidated, and buy her allies a little time to recover in the process.

Armag struck Earthguard from behind, and while she was distracted by the blow Araka grabbed her up in a bear hug. She struggled, but couldn't get loose. He was too strong. He began the crushing the life out of her, but didn't get far.

"Hey, ugly!" Araka turned to where the insult came from, and saw Takeo standing next to him, holding a camera, "Smile for the camera!" Then he squeezed the shutter, and the flash went off right in the monster's eyes. He growled in pain and annoyance, dropping Earthguard and clawing blindly for the human who'd done this to him. But Takeo had learned from his mistake about getting within arm's reach of a monster and rolled out of Araka's way.

"Glad you finally showed up," he said to Earthguard, shooting her his patented boyish, knowing smirk, "I was just telling someone how much your friends need you." Then he ducked out of sight before she could say a word.

Armag glared over at Earthguard, and Araka was beginning to recover his vision and did too. But as she prepared herself to take them both on, a voice was heard, "About time you got here." It was Fireguard. He and the others had gotten their second wind and were back on their feet, ready to fight. Airguard took Earthguard by both hands happily. 

"Glad you're back." Fireguard nodded.

"Thank my friend's good example."

"Don't just stand there with your mouth open! Spring the traps, idiot!" Armag roared, just a trace of fear evident in his voice. Araka did as he was commanded, focusing his concentration on the other traps he'd planted outside the building. A pit with nasty-looking spikes at the bottom opened beneath Forestguard's feet, but this time he was ready and jumped to safety. He brought back his arm and launched the Gorilla Vine at the villains. Violence was not his preferred course of action, but he knew there was nothing else these infernal creatures would respond to. Armag swung his sword, trying to chop the Gorilla Vine in two, but instead the cable coiled around his blade and Forestguard yanked the weapon out of his hand.

Armag decided this was getting too dangerous for his person. Besides, he had what he came for. "Enough of this tomfoolery…finish them, Araka!" he said to his subordinate before disappearing into thin air. Araka felt understandably pole axed by being left in the lurch like this, but would be damned if he went down without a fight.

But the Guardrangers were back in fighting form and knew what to expect from this tricky monster by now. An electric net appeared in the air above Waterguard, but he saw it coming, caught it on his Orca Brand and flung it harmlessly away. A rigged tree toppled toward Earthguard but she cleaved it in half with a swipe from her Grizzly Claws. A line of the concealed explosives in the ground arose in front of Fireguard as he charged toward Araka, but he vaulted right over them and was completely unscathed as they exploded violently.

It was no good. His traps were spent, but Araka stepped up to fight the Rangers hand-to-hand. Fireguard and Waterguard attacked at once, but he knocked them away. Airguard darted through the air toward him but with one blow he knocked her to the side. Forestguard attacked once more with the Gorilla Vine, but Araka grabbed the cable and tugged, pulling Forestguard off his feet and into Araka's waiting fist.

Earthguard swung her claws at him, but he grabbed them in his giant hands. He smirked evilly and began to squeeze and crush her hands. Earthguard snarled in pain, but focused herself. Her body started to glow with elemental power, and words formed in her mind.

****

"Seismic…" she said, power thundering through her blood, **"FORCE!" **and brought her foot down with devastating force. The ground shook in response to her power, making Araka lose his grip on her hands, which proved to be a big mistake on his part, because a split-second afterward, she locked her hands together and swung upward hard and fast, slamming him squarely under the chin with an almost-deafening BOOM, and sent him flying backward. He crashed face-first into a line of his own explosives, and shrieked in agony as they detonated mercilessly across his body.

"Yow!" Airguard said as she joined her yellow-clad friend and handed back her Eternablade. "I didn't know you could _anything_ like _that_!"

"You never know what you can do until you have a gun to your head, do you?"

"Let's finish this, guys," Fireguard said. They nodded and all drew their Eternablades. The five Rangers gathered facing Araka, and placed their swords together. Their elemental energies began to gather as a radiant sphere of power where the blades crossed . Within moments it was ready, and the Guardrangers swung their swords in Araka's direction, propelling the orb at him at blinding velocity, **"ETERNITY DRIVE!"**

The energy globe shot toward Araka and slammed him full in the chest, its multihued energies consuming him from the inside out. He tried to fight its effects, but it was no use. He collapsed to the ground, and exploded into a mess of metal fragments. The threat was ended. For now.

A while later, most of the staff of the Terralogical Institute returned to the building to re-assess the damage sustained in the chaos. Doctor Amasada had been injured by the wild swing Armag had taken at him, but it wasn't too severe. He was still issuing out instructions and whatnot up until the EMT's loaded him into an ambulance and took him to the hospital. The Rangers were still there, helping to get things back into at least a partial state of working order. Earthguard and Airguard were speaking with the Institute's security chief about possibly assigning armed guards to the dig site on Hokkaido, perhaps even asking the military for help with the situation if it came to that. Takeo, in the meanwhile, was talking to the guys a few feet away.

"I never got to thank you guys for what you did at the jewelry story that day. Especially you, pal," Takeo put a hand on Waterguard's shoulder. "Y'know, saving my butt and all. One of the EMT guys told me you stayed with me until they showed up. Thanks a lot for that, man. You didn't have to go that far."

Waterguard chuckled bashfully. "Hey, it's no problem. Besides, you helped us out with that camera flash back there. We owe you one, dude."

"Yeah, that was some quick thinking you did," Fireguard put in. He stuck his hand out to Takeo, nodding. "Arigato."

Takeo grinned, taking the offered hand. "Man…this is the first time I've ever seen you guys up close. Sentai guys, I mean. You were something else back there."

"Well, we're still pretty new to the job, really," Forestguard admitted. "I'm only sorry Armag got away from us, though."

"Yeah, one the guys who works here told me he got away with a file with info on the dig site on Hokkaido," Takeo said. "I was out there a while back, so I'm guessing whatever's out there's pretty serious stuff if he wants it so much."

"Yeah, that's probably the case," Fireguard agreed. He looked off into the skies, a tremor of unease rolling through him.

"And I'm sure as hell not looking forward to what's coming if it is…"

"YES…" Armag felt his breath sliding faster and hotter through his throat, anticipation swelling and rearing its head like a ferocious winter squall inside the darkened hollows of his soul as read the report from his seat of power.

He was right. The information was all here. And the proof it held was unmistakable.

The Death Gar _was_ buried on Hokkaido…and it was waiting. Waiting to be unearthed. Waiting for its power to be unleashed. Waiting to rain glorious destruction down on his enemies.

Waiting…

For him…


	5. Episode 5: Woodsman’s Lover

****

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 5: Woodsman's Lover

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

A small dark shape darted through the clouds above a small city by the name of Izumo. The object left no trail behind it, and just when a person thought they had seen something strange, it disappeared from sight. None of those people paid much attention to what they thought they saw. They should've known better.

Sulphos was not pleased with his assigned duty. After all, his abilities were the deadliest of any animated warrior his leader, the mighty Armag, commanded. Why was he being relegated to contaminating a small, ineffectual city when he could be using his powers to decimate the population of a major metropolis?

Still, he'd been ordered to do this. Even if it was painful to his ego to waste his talents and efforts so. He gave a sigh that sounded almost like the roar of a hurricane, but prepared to carry out his task. Concentrating hard, sacs on his back began to swell grotesquely. They inflated until they were five feet high, then burst with a thunderous explosion. Tiny particles wafted down into the clouds below the soaring monster. Minutes later the clouds over the small town began to blacken and thunder, just as he knew they would. And soon they'd rain death and destruction down on the unsuspecting people below, just as he knew they would.

Maybe Armag wouldn't believe it until he saw so with his own eyes, but Sulphos knew perfectly well that his abilities worked devastatingly well on human beings. Not from experience, of course, but he had every confidence in the potency of his power. There was no need at all for prevaricating like this, but orders were blasted orders, and he knew better than to cross Garganstah nobility.

As the first drops began to fall from the seeded clouds, Sulphos felt a brief urge to stay and observe his handiwork. It was almost an art to him, after all. Unlike a lot of beings of his type, Sulphos took intense pleasure in doing what he did. It wasn't just a job to do, he thought, it was the entire point of his existence. Still, it seemed that Armag was determined to take all chances for pleasure from him, and with another sigh he flew off to report that he had carried out his task.

Tochiro walked up to a tree in the park he'd been sent to inspect. As usual, it was his job to check for any diseases or abnormalities in the plants, but he no longer needed to collect samples to make his analysis.

He reached out and stood next to the tree, and cleared his mind of the noises of the chatting people who walked past him and the sounds of traffic coming from the distant street. Then his mind became one with the plant life around him.

Tochiro was not an ordinary man by any means. He was Forestguard, one of the Eternal Sentai Guardranger who held an uncanny affinity with the plants and trees. Now that his powers had been reawakened, he could effortlessly become one with the world of flora. It helped no end in situations like this.

Every blade of grass, every flower, every tree in the park spoke to him with a small, whispering voice. But for the moment he only needed to listen to the one directly in front of him. The condition of every fiber in its being rushed into his mind, and for a brief instant he felt as if the tree itself were his physical shell, rather than the husk of flesh he actually wore. Within instants he had inspected the condition of every part of the tree, but aside from a little irritation from smog it was fine. He relaxed his effort and normal perception flooded back.

Tochiro walked up and scraped off a small sample even though he knew the tree was fine. No one else could know about his new abilities, after all. He was still getting the hang of them, and may have been able to hook up with every plant in this entire park for all he knew, but he was taking it slow. Even he didn't know how much he could really handle just yet.

"Ohayo, Tochiro!" someone behind exclaimed cheerfully, but he was so surprised he jumped a foot. He whipped around and found himself face-to-face with a teenage girl.

"Ohayo, Miaka. What brings you out here?" he asked.

"Bes told me you were out here and it was on my way so I thought I'd say hi." She smiled a pleasant smile at him.

"But it's the middle of the day! Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"No," she replied, and for the first time he realized she was in street clothes, not her school uniform, "The electric wires got corroded or something and they closed it down. I'm free for a few days."

"Hope you're keeping up with your homework and such," Tochiro said, collecting a few bark samples from the trees just to keep up appearances.

"Yeah, yeah," Miaka said dismissively. She'd hardly gone out of her way to meet him in order to discuss her schoolwork. She was feeling good. The team had won their last battle and all problems facing her teammates seemed to have been resolved. She wanted to share this feeling of victory with one of them.

It wasn't as if her finger had just landed on Tochiro's name, however. It was just…something about him she couldn't really explain. That sort of unexplainable mystique he had that made people just want to like him. But there were other things she could describe that she liked in Tochiro. The way he managed to seem peaceful even in the middle of pitched battles. How he was always completely in control of himself. Perhaps the main thing she liked about his company was the fact that he was one of five other people she could talk to about her after-school occupation.

She was a Guardranger too, after all, and a long time fan of the sentai teams who protected her world besides. The only thing she really didn't like about it was all the secrecy involved, but that's why she was here, talking to one of her teammates.

"Tochiro," she asked as he continued about his work, "what do you think being a Guardranger?"

"Nani?" Tochiro quirked a questioning eyebrow.

"I mean, do you like it, hate it?"

"Oh. Well, I guess I'm still learning about it," he replied thoughtfully, "I never thought about what having this kind of responsibility would be like. But since I've got it I'm just trying to take it one step at a time, you know? Learning what I have to do and what I have to do to cope with it. Don't want to get overwhelmed by all this."

"I'm honored by it, personally."

"Me too, Miaka, but I'm trying to figure out what all the demands on me are before I dive in head first."

"Don't tell me you're planning to walk if you don't like it, like Ryuji almost did."

Tochiro laughed. "Nope, sorry to disappoint. I'm just taking it slow while I learn the ropes."

"Well, that's good," Miaka said, more possible desertions the last thing she wanted, caught up in the experience of actually being a member of a super sentai was she. But just then she heard a call from across the park. Several of her friends from school had spotted her from across the park and were waving to her to come and join them. "I'll see you later, Tochiro. The masses are clamoring for me.."

"Likewise. Stay out of trouble and keep up with your schoolwork," he said with a smile and a wave of farewell.

"Yes, sir" she said teasingly, then ran over to join her friends.

Miaka was a good kid. Tochiro knew it well. And she was absolutely eating up the duty they'd both been assigned. Not that he saw anything wrong with regarding it differently than he did. But he turned around and got back to the business of examining the trees in this park. Being Forestguard could wait until the next time some monster decided to make trouble.

Armag tapped his foot in irritation. Sulphos hadn't liked the assignment he'd been given, but he wasn't an insubordinate warrior either. Why wasn't he back yet to report? A chill went down Armag's spine. What if something had happened to Sulphos? He was behind schedule enough as it was. If anymore delays presented themselves _they_ might arrive before he was ready for them. Then all of his trickery and plotting would've been for nothing. Definitely not how he wanted to go down in history.

A moment later he heard the sounds of scaly feet on the stone floor of the cave. Sulphos was finally back, it seemed. Armag rose and went into the corridor, and found Sulphos waiting for him.

"I have completed my task, Lord Armag."

"Excellent. Soon we'll analyze the results and if they're positive, we'll take the operation to its next step.

Sulphos gathered his nerve. He was not an insubordinate warrior, no, but neither was he an idiotic one. And he was going to find out why his talents were being wasted so. "Sir, if I may ask. . ."

"Yes…?" Armag replied.

"Why was I sent to poison that isolated little city**?** Why not the very capital of this nation, where the Guardrangers obviously operate from**?**"

"Very simply put, Sulphos, because I don't know how well your talents work on human beings. This is the only planet Garganstah knows of where they exist, and we've been off this wretched world so long we have no information on them any longer. I need to know the end results before we go dropping it into the city where the Guardrangers live and work." 

"But--"

"But nothing!" Armag bellowed. "My pursuers are a week away at the most. I must get the Guardrangers out of the way and claim the Death Gar before they arrive or … " Armag broke off snarling, then continued, "I can afford no more failures or wasted time. If this doesn't work, drastic measures will have to be taken. You are powerful, Sulphos, but time is against me and it is a foe more powerful than any animated warrior."

Sulphos said nothing. It was true that enemies far worse than the Guardrangers were soon to arrive on Earth. Yes, he realized, their operation was too delicate to endanger now. After their pursuers had been dealt with, then he'd certainly be allowed to enjoy his work.

"Go and rest now, Sulphos," Armag said, "However this turns out I will need you fighting at your fullest. Our numbers have dwindled thanks to those damnable meddlers, and those of us that remain must be all the stronger to win now."

Sulphos nodded. "As you say, Sir," he said, and turned to leave, adding under his breath, "Still seems like a waste to me…"

"Un-FRICKIN'-believable!"

Ryuji shook his head with an amused grin. "Jase, you've been saying that ever since we got here. I get the point already."

"Hey, it bears repeating, dude," Jason came back good-naturedly, over a stack of boxes he was shuffling through. It was a day later and he and Ryuji were in the spacious living room of Takeo Yashamura's condominium, unpacking the bulk of his belongings and putting them in some semblance of order around the place. Takeo still lived here for the time being since the purchase on his new place was still in escrow, but he'd likely be out of here in a week or so. Not that Jason minded at all, since the two of them got along so well.

"I tell ya, Ryu, I never could've found a place like this by myself. I was never any good at dealing with real estate guys. That's why I bunked out in hotels so much when surfing season started up. Boy, I owe Takeo huge for offering his condo to me and all."

"So, he's your new best friend now?" Ryuji pouted jokingly.

"Pretty much," Jason shrugged, then grinned at his friend's half-surprised expression. "Aw, dude, c'mon…you know you're my best bud." He bounded over to the couch where Ryuji was sitting and shoved a hand through his hair. "But seriously, Ryu, I really do owe him one. I wasn't feeling too hot about crashing at your place for so long."

Ryuji shook his head. "Jase, it's okay. I didn't mind you staying. To tell you the truth, I loved having you, but you need to live someplace where any women you meet won't lose interest in you when they see your roommate." He poked Jason in the arm good-naturedly.

Jason raised an eyebrow and smirked at that remark. "_You_? Better looking than _me_? In what universe?"

Ryuji got serious all of sudden as a thought entered his head, "Speaking of which, where _is _Takeo, anyway?"

"Oh…he's away a lot on business."

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "What kind of business?"

Jason looked at Ryuji for a minute before realizing he had no idea. "I dunno. I guess I was so caught up in him giving me a place to stay and all that I never thought to ask."

"This is the same guy who saved Naoko the last time we fought Garganstah, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Right," Jason replied, "and I ran into him when we fought Arbast, too."

"Yeah, from the jewelry store, too…Jason, no offense to this guy, but I'd keep an eye on him. It just strikes me as funny how he keeps showing up wherever the Guardrangers do, wouldn't you think?"

Jason's blue eyes widened "Dude…you're not saying you think he's--"

"No, Jase, I'm not," Ryuji said before Jason could finish that thought, that maybe Takeo was in league with their enemy. "But I _would_ like to know why he's been around when we fought those last two monsters."  
"Coincidence, maybe?"

"Could be. But with our new jobs it'll be a lot safer to know these things for sure…We've got the lives of a lot of people riding on our shoulders."

Jason was speechless. This was a level of seriousness quite uncommon for Ryuji. Then again, being handed the mantle of leadership for the team in charge of protecting humanity from an ancient empire was the kind of thing that could change a person. And it was true that Takeo's presence at their battles was a little odd. But before either of them could put any more thought into the subject, the two of them suddenly felt a familiar tingle in their minds and souls. They were being contacted.

_"Ryuji, Jason; come to the Earth Sanctum at once,"_ the voice of Beservor, the old wizard who advised them reverberated in their minds, _"a great danger is unfolding…_" Without a word Jason and Ryuji rose from the sofa and left to answer the call.

Shortly thereafter, Tochiro arrived at Tokyo Tower to answer the call. He hoped it was nothing too serious. But then, if it wasn't serious, it probably wasn't something the Guardrangers would be asked to deal with. The door to the Earth Sanctum opened as he approached, and none of the people nearby noticed as he seemed to disappear into thin air.

He descended the familiar stairway into the cavern below. As he neared the bottom he could see that the lights in the main room were already on. Clearly he wasn't the first one here. Naoko and Miaka were already sitting at the meeting table as he entered. The colored sparks in Beservor's ball flickered to life and zipped around the crystal's interior as they noticed him come in.

__

"Welcome, Forestguard. I trust you've been well since our last meeting?" Beservor inquired.

"Just been glowing with the flow, like always," Tochiro replied, taking the seat next to Miaka. He looked over at the young lady, who, as he'd learned to expect from her in their last couple of encounters, was waiting to be told what to do to live up to the honor of being a member of a sentai this time.

Naoko, on the other hand, was sitting patiently as she waited for the rest of the team to arrive. She'd learned something about the rigors of their job recently, but it looked now like she was ready for anything Beservor might be about to hand them. Good to see that they were both so serious about something like this.

Footsteps came down the stairs, and a moment later Jason and Ryuji entered. "Sorry, guys, we got stuck in traffic," Jason said as they took their seats. He hadn't changed much since Tochiro had joined the team, but Ryuji…he'd changed so much during his short time on the team that Tochiro almost thought he was a completely different person from the indignant Fireguard who'd given him his Guardbrace not so long ago. Naoko cast a sidelong glance at Ryuji as he sat next to her, as if thinking the exact same thing and being glad of it. Whatever she was thinking, Ryuji didn't seem to notice. For a moment Tochiro idly wondered if being a Guardranger would change him, too.

_"I'm glad you all came so quickly, Guardrangers," _Beservor said, pinging a few times to get their attention, _"for there is evil afoot that can only be caused by Garganstah."_

"I think we all assumed that when you got on the old psychic loudspeaker, Bes," Ryuji said.

Jason nudged Ryuji's arm. "Heh. Good one, dude."

Beservor huffed and tried to regain his bearings without letting the Rangers know he'd been thrown off, then continued with what he was going to say_. "Some strange illness has come over the residents of the town of Izumo and I am certain it cannot be of this Earth. It has the subtle edge of Garganstah life force to it."_

"Well, if it's from Garganstah, why would they target a little place like Izumo?" Naoko said. "It seems a bit out of the way compared to staging an attack here."

_"Indeed. That is what we'll have to find out," _Beservor replied, _"My scrying spells have not revealed much. But the entire population of that city is suffering from some kind of epidemic. I don't know what the consequences will be if it is not remedied, nor do I know what can be used to reverse the effects. But you must go to investigate it at once. I fear this was only some sort of test, and much worse will happen if we do not act quickly."_

"We'll go see what we can do, Bes. But we're warriors, not doctors. I can't really promise anything…" Ryuji said, trailing off, as if he felt it wasn't his place to say such things to their disembodied advisor despite being the leader of the team.

_"True, Ryuji. But as always, you will fare better than most in uncovering an answer to this dilemma," _Bes replied. Suddenly a cloud of shimmering, copper-colored dust seemed to explode out of the top of his ball and drift down over them. The tiny flakes disappeared through their skin, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Bes, what was that?" Miaka asked, an edge of anxiety creeping into her question.

_"A supernatural counter-agent to protect you from what is afflicting the people of Izumo. Now go, please hurry for their sakes. I will open a tunnel for you once you are outside." _The five of them nodded and climbed the stairs back out of the Earth Sanctum. As they left to face this strange problem, one which they indeed did not seem suited to deal with, Tochiro wondered what Beservor meant when he said they'd be more successful than they thought they'd be, and what he might know that would lead him to say something like that…

A few moments later, the team emerged from the underground wind tunnels they used as transportation, and found themselves at the edge of Lake Izumi, located on the western tip of Izumo City. Sunlight glittered off the surface of the water, and light breeze blew by complimenting the already-perfect blue of the near-cloudless skies overhead. So of course, it made all the sense in the world that they'd be too busy investigating to enjoy the scenery.

Naoko cast an analytical glance at the surroundings. Everything looked normal enough, but as they all knew, supposedly normal appearances meant nothing in their line of work. 

"Naoko?" Ryuji asked, noticing her concerned expression. "What is it?"

"There's a wrongness here…I can't put my finger on it, but something feels unnatural--some kind of underlying taint or something…"

Ryuji shut his eyes and concentrated. After a few seconds, he sensed something as well. It was a small, remote feeling of unrest, but that was about all. "Yeah, I feel it too. But it's awfully small."

"Maybe we should suit up, guys," Jason offered. "We're kinda limited in the senses department like this.

"Good idea, Jase," Ryuji raised his Guardbrace. "FIRE…FOCUS!"

The other followed suit. "WATER…FOCUS!"

"EARTH…FOCUS!"

"FOREST… FOCUS!"

"AIR… FOCUS!"

The familiar multi-colored spectacle of light and energy temporarily overtook the immediate surroundings of the lake, and when it ceased, the Guardrangers stood in its place. As soon as they'd summoned their respective powers, the unnatural force in the area became instantly recognizable. It was like someone had spilled black, oily ink across a fresh canvas. The normally pure and bright colors of the elements were skewed and warped into monstrous, inhuman patterns. It was so intense, Forestguard had to rein in and dampen his senses by half just to be able to cope with the sudden intensity.

"Dude," Waterguard put a hand on his teammate's shoulder, "you okay?" 

"Im fine, Jase. It's just taking me a little longer to get in synch with the environment than usual." Forestguard replied. "Not a good sign there."

"It's a potent concoction, whatever it is," Earthguard confirmed, running her fingers along the dirt near the lakeside. "It's…not like any man-made toxin I 'v ever heard of. There's a fundamentally alien element to it. It's also been spread outward from here in a fairly large field of dispersal…As if someone dropped a bomb in the area ."

"It's already been spread around quite a bit by local air currents. Good thing the breeze's died down some since then," Airguard put in.

__

"Yeah, the lake water's in roughly the same shape," Waterguard said from the spot where he and Fireguard were crouched down by the edge of the lake, his outstretched hands bleeding blue light into the water. "It hasn't gotten too far yet, but it's pretty strong stuff. The fish must've moved further up the lake; I can't sense any around here."

"I'll tell you what's alien about it," Forestguard said. All of them had a heightened connection to nature as the elemental beings they were, but was his was the most sensitive. Everything around him, the grass, the trees, the very wood and stone that the buildings were made out of cried out in pain from this strange contagion. "This…poison or whatever it is isn't something I've ever seen before, but it's got that slight life force resonance of a Garganstah creation. It must be from one of their monsters."

"You're sure about that?" Fireguard asked, serious and in control. Waterguard shifted uneasily.

"Beyond a doubt. There's a subtle but distinctive feel to everything those monsters touch. I've sensed it in our other battles. It's faint, but it's there. And it's all over this area."

A soft but chilly wind blew through the area just then, and the Guardrangers noticed how quiet everything was. It was as silent as a graveyard; no sounds of people, no birds, no cars, nothing. It was an eerie feeling, but with this strange toxin making every nerve on their bodies tingle, it was not hard to understand.

Fireguard, as per his place on the team, took charge. "Let's split up and see if we can find anything. Maybe we'll find the monster that did this or somebody who can tell us what happened." Earthguard nodded approvingly as he assigned directions for each of them to go. This was certainly a change from the Fireguard she'd constantly been reaming before. "Whatever you do, though, stay in touch. I don't care if you just see a shadow move, call the rest of us. This isn't friendly territory anymore."

_Don't I know it, _Forestguard thought to himself as the team split up and went off in different directions. The streets of Izumo were devoid of life as he walked cautiously through them, looking for any clues. It was scary, how it seemed every living thing in this city had suddenly vanished into thin air. He'd half-expected the street to be filled with bodies, but there were none around, somewhat to his relief. It made him wonder, however, where everyone could be with sprinklings of this alien contagion everywhere.

As he walked down a few more streets, expecting at every second an army of zombies or some such thing to leap out of nowhere and attack him, Forestguard noticed that the tingling he was feeling from the omnipresent contagion to be slightly weaker. As if it was spread more thinly as he neared the center of town. He was so busy trying to figure out why that could be that he didn't notice the figure walking past him at the street crossing ahead they were almost on top of each other.

With a start Forestguard realized he wasn't alone and dodged into the narrow space between two buildings hoping he hadn't been seen. From his hiding place, he saw the figure more clearly. It looked like a human, wearing a white containment suit that covered the whole body. The figure shrugged and continued walking, and Forestguard slunk after it. He should've reported this, but he wanted to know more about this being and what they were doing here. It might've seemed stupid, but aside from a small amount of the contagion on the suit, there was no Garganstah tingle from this being. No, it was instead the life force of a human that he detected.

The person walked around a corner to a large building with a large, plastic tube, big enough to walk through, connected to the door of the building. Connected to the other end of the tube was a large plastic box. A decontamination room, he guessed, as the person had just finished some kind of cleansing process and was removing their headpiece.

Waves of long black hair fell free, and the person ran a delicate hand through it to push it away from their face. Forestguard choked as he suddenly forgot to breathe in. The person he'd been following was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

Her eyes were a dark, emerald green, her face the shape of a heart. The red sheen of the lipstick she wore set off her long, straight ebony hair. Everything else seemed to disappear, this vision seizing all of the green-clad hero's attention.

She removed the bulky containment suit she'd been wearing--obviously to shield herself from the contagion--revealing a yellow turtleneck and black slacks beneath. She made her way from the chamber through the tube, but stopped in the middle. She'd noticed something out of the corner of her eye, a man in a green uniform and helmet standing down the street and staring at her. She seemed curious rather than alarmed, since Izumo was a bit out of the usual way for members of sentai, but she still seemed to recognize what she saw and waved him over to the door of the decontamination chamber. It took him a minute to realize she'd noticed him and was inviting him inside. He nodded at her, but before entering he reached out to contact the rest of the team.

_"I've found something, guys. Oh, boy, have I found something…"_

A moment later Forestguard stood inside the tube, face to face with this mysterious, beautiful woman. He just stood and gawked, knowing later on that he'd be unbelievably grateful his helmet concealed the goofy, love-struck look plastered to his face.

"And you would be…?" she prompted.

"Toch--Forestguard, that's what they call me," he replied, only just catching himself. Half his brain seemed to have gone on vacation the moment he laid eyes on this woman. What a first impression _that_ was going to make for.

"You're one of those sentai people, I take it? Not that the costume didn't tell me that much. Are you here to investigate the germ?"

"Yeah…uh…yeah, that's right," Forestguard shook himself, finally managing to collect his thoughts enough to say something coherent. "Since you know my name. I'd like to know yours, too. If that's okay, that is…" He recanted quickly, not wanting to sound pushy.

The woman laughed in a soft, almost musical way that made Forestguard's knees go weak. But he liked it all the same. "Saori," she said, "Matsunaga Saori."

"Nice…" Forestguard said dreamily, then shook himself. "I mean, uh…to meet you…it's nice…I mean, it's nice to meet you,"

Saori laughed again, the sound even more appealing than the first time. "Are you always this eloquent with public speaking, or am I an exception?"

Forestguard felt his face heat up under his helmet. Just as he was about to answer back, however, a voice called out: "Forestguard?"

Then a second. "Dude? You there? Footsteps sounded outside the chamber, then stopped short. "Yo, Forest!"

A familiar blue helmet poked in through the entrance. "Hey, compadré…what's up? Why didn't you--" Waterguard trailed off when he saw Saori standing near the back of the chamber, then a knowing grin spread across his face from under his helmet.

"Ohhhh…I get it," the blue-clad soldier of water drawled as he bounded over to Forestguard, pounding his teammate's shoulders. Forestguard just stood there, tongue-tied.

"Cut it out already, man." Fireguard said lightly as he entered the room with Air and Earth following in step behind him. He gave his teammate a good-natured shove to the side. "We're here to take care of business, not bust each others chops."

Saori sized up the five of them. She apparently recognized their kind, but seemed surprised to run into them so far from Tokyo. "I trust you didn't have any trouble with the decontamination procedure? I really should've been there to take you through it."

"We followed the list on the wall. We're all right," Fireguard said cordially, "I see you've already met Forestguard. We're known as the Eternal Sentai Guardranger."

"Yes I have, and it's a pleasure. I assume you're here to investigate the same thing we are?" Saori replied.

"Probably, but we don't know much about what's happened here." Airguard put in. "Just disturbances in the natural order of things, but nothing concrete."

"We're mostly unsure ourselves, and sure I wouldn't mind superheroes helping us figure it out," Saori said, beckoning them to follow her further into the building. They did. 

The building appeared to have once been a hotel, but whoever Saori was working with had turned it into a field hospital. Through open doors the Rangers could see dozens of people lying in futons in meeting and dining rooms, all looking like hell. There were dark green blotches on every bit of exposed skin, and they were sweating and writhing in their beds as if going through a particularly uncomfortable nightmare. Even Forestguard's eyes were taken off Saori when he saw that.

"So this is why I didn't see anyone…"

While they were morbidly engrossed by this shocking scene, a sharp voice called out in their direction, "Dr. Matsunaga, where have you been?" It was an older man, with thick glasses and receding hairline, coming down the hall toward them. He stopped short when he saw the Guardrangers. "And _who_ are they?" he demanded.

"Maniwa-san," she bowed, "These are the, ah…the Guardrangers. I met them outside. They're also here investigating the germ."

Dr. Maniwa arched an eyebrow suspiciously, "Another team, eh? Guess it's not so surprising by now. Well, bring them along. Far be it from me to countermand whatever group has dispatched them here."

"Told you we were an institution," Airguard whispered to Water.

"What exactly is going on here?"

"I was on the way to visit a cousin of mine out here," Saori said, "but as I drove into town I saw all these people lying in the streets, almost like they were dead," she shivered at the thought, "I'm a biology professor, but I'd never seen anything like this. I called a few colleagues and the next thing I knew the government was asking me to come back and help them investigate some kind of germ that's infected the entire city."

"I think we can safely assume Garganstah's behind this," Earthguard surmised, "but why would they target Izumo? There's not much here." 

"Maybe there's something hidden around here that Garganstah wants." Airguard offered.

"Maybe this is some kind of trap." Waterguard supplied.

"Maybe we're overcomplicating things here?" Fireguard said to the both of them.

While his teammates debated the potential hows and whys of the situation facing them, Forestguard approached Saori and Maniwa. There was something else on his mind. "Maniwa-san, I take it that the germ's being studied?"

"Of course," Dr. Maniwa replied, "but it's not like any kind of germ that's ever been seen on this planet."

"I sensed something about it outside…I'd like to take a closer look at a sample, if that's all right."

Dr. Maniwa nodded, "Dr. Matsunaga, would you please escort him to the laboratory?"

"Right away, sir," she replied, taking Forestguard by the hand with a smile. That same instant he felt his cheeks flush and his IQ plunge by sixty points while his body temperature rose by that many degrees. It was a feeling he didn't think he'd mind getting used to.

Saori led him to a large room where there were tubes and microscopes, and refrigerators containing cultures of the germ. Various scientists were walking around making examinations and recording what they'd discovered, but they all stopped and stared at the green-clad stranger who'd entered into their midst. Saori quickly explained about the Guardrangers, and that Forestguard wanted to use their equipment to see the germ up close. Very nice of her, considering that despite the life and death situation around him, he was standing there quietly enraptured by her beauty.

He would never cease to be amazed by the pull the colorful uniform he wore afforded him. A scientist dutifully stepped away from the microscope he'd been using to analyze the germ, and Forestguard walked over to see for himself, returning to himself as he departed Saori's company. He leaned down over the eyepieces, and the festering microbes he saw through his darkened visor confirmed his suspicions.

"Just as I thought…it's partly plant."

"We already know that," the scientist whose microscope he was borrowing said, slightly annoyed.

"No, you don't understand," Forestguard replied, "I thought I sensed it outside, but the other elements were masking it. But since it's part plant, maybe I can do something about it…"

"Really?" Saori asked, sounding sincere as could be. Forestguard smiled behind his mask. His head was filling with thoughts of impressing her by unearthing the solution to the problem this germ presented. Maybe that wasn't the most heroic way of thinking, but it was a lot easier on a gentle mind like his than imagining what would happen to all those people in the other rooms if a cure wasn't found. Over complication and life and death consequences weren't his thing.

"I think so. Maybe if I mixed some medicinal plants up I'd be able to whip up something that could kill this germ." The scientists in the room looked at him, their gazes somewhat incredulous. This germ had baffled them, but two minutes ago this man in a green costume comes in and after one look at the germ declares he can come up with a solution. A bold claim. But every one of them had heard of the miracles his ilk had performed in the past. Perhaps he could do it, after all.

"Thank you, Forestguard," Saori smiled at him.

"It's what we do," he replied, grinning ear to ear behind his mask.

Armag rose from his meditations. His situation was not a comfortable one, and there were instances when he had to take time to calm himself and assure his troubled mind that he would indeed succeed in his perhaps rash but bold endeavor in striking out on his own. After Sulphos's germ wiped out the population of Izumo, he'd know to go ahead with having him infect a much larger city with it. Tokyo, where he'd constantly run afoul of the Guardrangers.

It seemed a waste, perfectly good subjects being wiped out to rid himself of the Guardrangers, like using the proverbial cannon to swat a fly. But the Guardrangers were a very big fly.

He rose to his feet and looked at a large crystal half-orb set into the wall. As he concentrated, it began to shimmer, then light focused into a view of Izumo. Might as well check on how well his plan was progressing.

But he was not pleased by what he saw. Where he'd expected to see droves of people, dead and dying from his creature's germ, there were only a few birds and dogs. Armag adjusted the scan, looking inside the nearest building. The walls were no obstruction to his magical scrying, but he didn't see a single living thing inside the building either. Was it possible that the germ's effect on human physiology was to completely obliterate the body? Then why hadn't that happened to the animals he'd seen? No, there had to be another explanation for the absence of all his expected victims.

He scanned the city for any life readings at all. The orb, guided by his thoughts, quickly searched for any sign of life, street by street and building by building. But aside from the afflicted animals in the streets, it came up with nothing. Until it reached a large building near the middle of town.

Inside, there were all the people he'd expected to littering the streets in half-dead droves. Their skin was discolored a dark green in places, and agony was writ large upon their features. So the germ was deadly to humans after all. But what were they all doing gathered in this one building? Armag moved the view outside the large chambers where the ill were lying in the sleep of imminent death, and searched the halls and the other rooms for an answer. He froze when he saw what looked like a laboratory.

And standing in the middle of it, calmly speaking to a female scientist, was the green Guardranger.

_How?!_ How was this possible? It was obvious why the Guardranger and his presumably nearby comrades were there, always a thorn in his side, but how had they known? He had chosen Izumo as it was a relatively isolated place, and Sulphos has inflicted his germ upon it only the day before. How could they have found out already? Whatever the answer, something had to be done.

"Sulphos, attend me! I have another job for you!"

Back at the hotel-cum-hospital, Dr. Maniwa had agreed to tell the four Guardrangers what little his team had found about the germ, partly to make up for the brusque way he'd greeted them.

"As far as we can tell, although we're not sure how, the germ entered all their systems not long ago, we guess about thirty hours."

"That's not long. Is the government really capable of assembling and dispatching an investigation team so quickly? Epidemics like this aren't a very common thing."

"This group was hastily assembled, I will admit," Dr. Maniwa replied, "And I definitely a better team could've been put together if there hadn't been such a rush to get someone out here doing something about this sickness, but if I may continue…

"The germ sickens people by poisoning the blood cells, and can infect a person just by making contact with the flesh. Once it enters into its victim's bloodstream, it replicates itself throughout the central nervous system, effectively crippling the body's means to fight back."

"Is it contagious?"

"No. But this city is covered with the stuff. As it's never been seen before, however, we have no idea what should be done to treat it. And it's more potent than any germ known to man. If something isn't done to find a remedy, I'd only give them until the end of the day to live."

"Uh-oh…not good." Waterguard huffed. "Sounds like we're gonna need some kinda miracle drug to handle this mess."

"Well, maybe I can help with that," Forestguard said as he and Saori returned from the lab, "I had a look at the germ. It's partly plant, so I think if I concoct something from a few medicinal plants and give it a little Guardranger push, it'll be able to kill the germs."

"You're sure?" Fireguard asked, sounding like he'd been born to be in charge of a team like this, which he had. "From what Dr. Maniwa's told us it doesn't like these people have long to live. We need some kind of cure soon." Earthguard made a purring sort of noise of approval.

Forestguard shuddered at the mention of all those lives hanging in the balance of what he was going to do, but adjusted his view back to doing something nice for Saori. He'd have to tell Fireguard about how he motivated himself soon. But even if he was trying to avoid considering the fact that all those people's lives were in his hands, he had to leave now to be in time to save them.

"Yeah, but I have to hurry. I'll have to go all over the islands to find what I need, and I shouldn't even try to ride the tunnels until I get outside the contaminated area unless I want to take some of those germs with me."

"I'll go with you," Airguard offered.

"No, I can handle this by myself. And besides, Garganstah's bound to come and check up on their work soon. There's going to have to be someone here to deal with them." He turned to get one last, admiring look at Saori, who smiled at him. He left the building in a daze.

Sulphos rocketed through the sky toward Izumo. His power had exactly the effect he'd known it would. Now he was being sent to finish the job. Of course, the Guardrangers would have been among the afflicted if they'd just done it his way…

Were all megalomaniacal conquerors as stubborn as Armag? He didn't know. He'd been created just before they'd broken away and come to Earth. He wondered briefly what things would be like if he'd been created by a master who would listen to his suggestions, but he hadn't. He was at the disposal of Armag, and was now being sent to get rid of the Guardrangers the hard way. Such a waste, such a waste. To be reduced to fighting like a common grunt when his was the power to lay waste to life miles around.

The city came into sight. He slowed his flight and dove lower, trying to get an idea of where the Guardrangers might be. He could just make some noise and let them find him, but that was for amateurs. A far better alternative presented itself when he spotted a green-clad figure jogging toward the edge of the city.

Sulphos swooped at him, and Forestguard noticed just in time to roll out of the way. The monster spread his wings to catch the wind and slow down, landing lightly on the street before turning to face Forestguard.

Forestguard involuntarily flinched and stepped back. The monster was absolutely repulsive. He looked like a giant bat, but scaled all over. And the areas not covered by scales were instead covered by sac-like growths, pulsating sickeningly. His eyes were bloodshot and foam dripped from his fanged mouth. He was the most disgusting thing Forestguard had ever laid eyes on. And he wasted no time in beginning his attack.

Sulphos lashed out with one giant fist and caught Forestguard in the stomach. The hero doubled over, then crumpled to the ground as Sulphos smashed his fists into Forestguard's back. As he lay on the ground, Forestguard desperately reached out with his mind. He was under attack, and he needed the others to come quickly…

Sulphos lowered his arm toward Forestguard's face. One of the sacs on it was throbbing faster and faster, and suddenly burst. Forestguard rolled back when he heard a faint hissing noise…when the sac had exploded it had sprayed something into the air, something that was eating away at his uniform and the very street beneath them! Sulphos gave a hideous snaggle-toothed grin and grabbed Forestguard by the neck before hoisting him into the air.

The monster tightened his grip around Forestguard's neck, and his vision started to blur and fade. He hardly even felt the burning on his chest as those nasty microbes the monster had released started to dig into his skin. He couldn't fight back, he already felt the life draining out of him. But as his vision began to darken for what he was sure would be the last time, a face appeared in his mind. Saori's. That expression of complete faith she'd had in a stranger that she had given him before looked back at him now.

Suddenly there was the sound of a small explosion and Sulphos's grip loosened. The darkness that had filled Forestguard's vision shattered into millions of tiny pieces as light returned and he fell to the ground. Footsteps clattered and four figures surrounded him defensively. The Guardrangers had arrived.

"Tochiro, daijoubu?"

Forestguard managed to wheeze out a faint "yeah." His vision was clearing and breathing became easier.

"It's okay, buddy. We're here." Waterguard reached down to help him up.

"Bah, as if it makes any difference. My power has put this entire city on death's doorstep," Sulphos said proudly, "You think five measly mortals can stand up to me?"

"Duh question, anyone?" Airguard quipped.

"Yeah. We stopped your kind before, we'll do it again," Fireguard retorted. He motioned for Forestguard to go, to run his mission while the others took care of this monster. He needed no second invitation. He needed to finish his errands and hurry back to impress Saori by solving this problem, after all, and dashed away to get to a safe place to board a wind tunnel.

"Well, I guess it's just four measly mortals then," Sulphos said. The Rangers fell into their stances, but before they could take a crack at this monster, a swarm of Silicons sprang up from out of the earth. Sulphos grimaced as the Guardrangers starred ripping their way through the Silicons that Armag had sent to help him. Some victory, beating foes who'd been softened up before getting to him. Did Armag know nothing of honorable combat, or did he just not care? The second seemed more likely, given his desperation of late to remove the Guardrangers from his path. As long as victory was theirs, he supposed…

The next twenty minutes seemed both to pass by in a few instants and last forever. Instantly for the four Rangers back in Izumo, interminably for Forestguard as he charged from one end of the Japanese islands to the other and scouted for the medicinal plants he needed to counteract the Garganstah germ.

Fireguard hacked down a Silicon with his Eternablade. Forestguard searched around the base of Mount Fuji.

Waterguard and Earthguard lunged at Sulphos with weapons brandished. Forestguard finally found what he was looking for out in Hokkaido.

Sulphos popped another sac on his body, showering the attacking Rangers with millions of microbes that exploded after a few seconds of exposure to open air. Forestguard finally found a vanishing breed of herb in the middle of Ryuh-ga-Mori forest.

Fireguard flew into his Dragon Hellriser attack as his teammates were sent flying from the scores of tiny blasts erupted all over their bodies, and knocked Sulphos back. Forestguard combed the northern tip of the island for the next ingredient.

Sulphos struck back at Fireguard, sinking his deadly fangs into Fireguard's armored neck, to which Fireguard replied with a cry of anguish. A Silicon crumbled into metal shaving before Airguard's Hawk Soul Sniper, who was battered and bruised, but aimed her bow and sent an arrow into Sulphos's shoulder. He released Fireguard, but turned to face them all. And Forestguard found the last thing he needed and began the trip back, but the battle raged on for the others.

As he entered the building where the investigation team was headquartered, although his uniform was singed and corroded from the acidic germ Sulphos had used on him and he himself gasping for breath, he wasted no time in steering himself toward the lab. All the scientists jumped in surprise as he burst in.

"Forestguard," Saori said after she'd recovered from her surprise at his sudden entrance, "Your friends left to--"

"I know, I'm the one who called them to do that." As he opened the emerald-green bag containing the flowers and herbs he'd collected onto the nearest unoccupied flat surface, he paused to catch his breath, taken from him by all the running and high-speed searching he'd been forced to make.

Saori approached, "Can we help?"

"Yeah. We need to mix the plants I found into a solution for them to work. After that, I can boost the effectiveness and use it to purify the area…"

"Suzuka! We need your mixer!" Saori called over to a thin woman. Suzuka nodded and took Forestguard's collection of greenery and placed it into a large, circular device that he would never have been able to identify. She closed the top, flicked a few switches on the side and the machine began to whir. Green, goopy stuff, obviously the plant life that had just gone in, was pushed through transparent tubes as the substances were blended together.

Saori sidled over to Forestguard as he gazed at the mixer, as if willing it to complete its task more quickly. She tapped him on the shoulder. He turned toward her, "Yeah?"

"What's it like being a superhero?"

Forestguard rubbed the back of his helmet shyly. He felt like a little kid around Saori, but he liked it all the same. "Overwhelming, sometimes. But I do my best to keep things simple so that I'm not swept away by it all. And there are times when I have to do things I don't really agree with…"

"Like…?" Saori asked, intrigued 

"Like all the fighting. I've never agreed with violence," he answered.

"Then why ? If you don't agree with it, then why do you go on?"

"I've learned not to argue with fate. I didn't sign up for this, but it's literally what I was meant for." 

Saori nodded with empathy. "I think I know the feeling…I always felt like I was meant to study living things. Like some kind of force was guiding me to take up biology. Was it like that for you and your friends?"

"Sort of," Forestguard replied, wanting to answer her questions but knowing he had to guard (ha ha) his team's secrets. Such a dirty trick by fate, finally meeting a woman who was interested in him and being kept apart by the very thing about him that interested her. Or was it just simple infatuation that was keeping her interested? More questions with no answers…

Suddenly, he snapped to attention. "Yes! It's finished!"

Saori straightened up, tossing her hair back. "What now? You said something about giving this concoction of yours a push?"

Forestguard smiled from behind his helmet as he reached toward the mixer, emerald light gleaming against his fingers. Saori and the rest of the group stared on in muted astonishment as he turned back to toward them, giving her a grin that she couldn't see, but could definitely feel.

"Watch and learn, Saori-san."

**"Orca Magnum Typhoon!"**

**"Hawk Soul Sniper!"**

Sulphos choked and sputtered in protest as water and air blasts interwove with each other, sending the monster slamming into a cluster of rocks and bushes, sparks flying with the force of the impact. The beast shoved himself out of the rubble, regarding his multi-colored enemies with infuriated eyes.

Airguard crossed her arms and smirked at Sulphos. " 'Measly mortals.' Is that what you called us before? Five of us couldn't stand up to you?"

"Looks like just the four of us managed fine." Waterguard grinned.

Sulphos sputtered with rage. Nothing was going his way! Furious, he spread his wings and let out a soul-piercing howl. They wanted tough, he'd give them tough. His hand flew to a small pouch at his side, and without hesitation he tore it open and poured the contents on himself. The Rangers recognized it at once. That golden powder the fire-breathing monster they'd fought had poured on himself to increase his size…

And so did that happen now, with Sulphos doubling in height before their eyes, then doubling once again, until he was dwarfing the buildings around them. The Rangers jumped back. Their weapons and attacks were no good against a threat like this. Except one. Fireguard stepped forward.

**"HELLSCAR, AWAKEN!" **he shouted, his words carrying along some supernatural channel to the dragon's ears. The ground exploded as he roused and took to the air, majestic and powerful, to answer the call. Within moments he was within sight of the Rangers, and a beam of crimson light lanced from his chest, engulfed Fireguard, and brought the red Ranger aboard.

Their minds and perceptions became one, yet were separate. As Fireguard was about to dive toward the monster, Beservor's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

__

"Fireguard, there is something I must warn you about. The Guard Beasts were--"

Fireguard interrupted him. 

__

"Not now, Bes! We have a monster to tackle and I can't fight him and talk to you at the same time!" Bes probably had something very important to say, but there was just no time. Hellscar went into a dive toward Sulphos, but the monster responded by spreading his wings and taking to the air himself. Hellscar pulled up to avoid crashing and pursue Sulphos.

Sulphos smirked evilly. He had the foolish hero right where he wanted him. As he went into some loops and evasive maneuvers to bide time and avoid the dragon almost right behind him, Sulphos inflated a sac on his chest. When Hellscar had almost caught up to him, he suddenly whipped around and it burst right in the dragon's face. Millions of tiny germs flooded into his amber eyes. Hellscar roared in pain and annoyance. Those germs…they itched! The dragon's irritated eyes began to blur, and so Fireguard couldn't tell him to get out of the way of Sulphos's incoming fist. Hellscar was knocked from the air.

The spectating Rangers cringed as the dragon crashed to the ground. But there was nothing they could do. Except perhaps hope that Forestguard would soon be on his way to join them, and bring with him something to remedy their predicament.

Forestguard held up a small flask of the mixture that had been produced from the plants he'd collected. The way it was now, it wouldn't have any effect on the germs covering every surface outside this building, but he could change that. He concentrated, calling upon the floronic energy coursing through his body, melding and upgrading the curative powers of this concoction in ways science simply couldn't. His spirit spoke to each plant cell, coaxing it into doing what he needed it to do. For a moment he felt like a god, being in touch with millions of tiny beings, but then the moment passed. He was back in the makeshift lab, surrounded by on-looking scientists, and holding a flask that was softly glowing green from his power.

"Yosha!" Forestguard shouted

"Will that cure what's happening to everyone?" Saori asked hopefully.

"No, but it will kill the germs, including those in their bodies, and they'll begin to recover naturally."

"But you don't have much there. How can we treat this entire city with that?"

A good question, but one he'd been thinking about while it was being prepared. "By spreading it from the sky, like a crop duster. Just how I'll manage that, though…"

Just then, the ground shook and there was the thunderous sound of a gigantic impact not far away. "What was _that?!_" one scientist exclaimed. But to Forestguard the answer was obvious. The rest of his team was out fighting that monster, and whenever a team like his and a creature like that got together, things tended to soon escalate themselves into literally giant conflicts. Then again, this might provide exactly the solution he was looking for. Outside, storm clouds were rolling in, but he could still see that the sun had almost set. If he was going to do this and save all the people of Izumo, he'd have to do it soon.

He turned toward the door, but Saori grabbed his arm protectively. She'd only met him a few hours ago, but already she felt like it would be a tragedy if she lost contact with him.

"Arigato, Forestguard," she said, an appreciative gleam such as he'd never seen before in her eyes, but there was a tinge of fear. Fear that this would be goodbye. It wasn't a thought that appealed to him either.

Here she was, not just a kindred spirit to him, but a beautiful woman. It just figured that he'd meet her while on Guardranger business, and be kept apart by the very thing that brought them together, didn't it? "Will I ever see you again?" she asked.

Forestguard just looked at her for a long, silent moment. No one said anything, all eyes were on them, but Forestguard paid no attention to that. Finally, he said, "Someday, I promise. Right now, though, I have a job to do…" What he didn't add was that he was doing that job to impress her still, keeping it simple as always, but now it wasn't just his practice of keeping his motivations simple that was urging him to go out there and be a hero for that reason. Forestguard clasped her hand firmly, then dashed out of the building to aid his friends.

Saori stood and watched him go, her thoughts with him as he raced into danger.

Hellscar was slammed to the ground. His vision was starting to clear, but Sulphos was relentlessly pounding him. Taking advantage of that, he reared back his long neck, and then head butted the monster with everything he had. While the disease-carrying monster was momentarily dazed, Hellscar spread his wings, grabbed the big green blob that Fireguard knew was the monster, and climbed into the air. Before Sulphos recovered and fought back, Hellscar dropped him and he fell into a grotesque heap. Sulphos shook his head to clear it, and popped another sac. Hellscar tried to fly clear, but was engulfed in a cloud of the monster's exploding microbes. The kamikaze germs exploded one by one, but there were millions and Hellscar was completely covered in them. Finally, Hellscar fell, blackened and burnt, most of the life blown out of him.

The Rangers started to panic. Hellscar had been overcome. But then, a green figure dashed into their midst. It was Forestguard, carrying a bottle of a glowing green stuff. He had the cure!

"Dude! You made it!" Waterguard whooped.

"Yeah," Forestguard replied breathlessly. But he was wondering what to do with the bottle in his hands now. He'd been hoping that Hellscar could take it into the air and break it open, hopefully letting it spread over the city, but as the dragon lay there coughing and sputtering, with Sulphos raining blows down on him, Forestguard pondered frantically. But then there was the clap of thunder from the dark clouds which had gathered overhead. Drops of rain began to fall. _Of course…_

"Airguard, can you carry me up into those clouds?"

She looked startled, but replied, "Yeah, I'm sure I can. Why?"

Forestguard cringed involuntarily. This was not the time for questions! "Never mind. Just take me up there, fast." She nodded, put her arms around his waist, and took to the sky. But as they whizzed past, Sulphos noticed, and let Hellscar go to pursue them.

Airguard screamed. After all, there aren't many things scarier than a multi-story bat-monster bearing down on you, but kept soaring upward. Forestguard looked down at the hand carrying his precious cargo. Just a little further, he told himself. The wind rushed past them, and Sulphos was gaining. For a moment the image of all the afflicted people of Izumo, lying in rows, each life hanging by a thread, flashed through his mind. It was up to him to save them. For a moment he felt sick and nervous, not liking the feeling of all those lives being in his hands, but knowing it was his duty. No wonder he kept things simple. Finally, in the very thick of the cloud, Forestguard chucked the flask into the air.

"GORILLA VINE!" At once his special weapon appeared on his arm, and he swung it with all his strength. The cable stretched out toward where the flask was twirling in midair, then struck it in an explosion of glass and the concoction inside. Bright green droplets were blown hither and yon into the cloud, and were carried to the ground by the falling rain.

Airguard stopped and hovered as they heard a rumbling groan. It was Sulphos, flapping to stay in one place. The rain, while carrying the solution that would purify all of Izumo, seemed to be hurting him. Of course it was. He was a living germ warfare weapon. As the solution killed the germs in his body that gave him his power, it was harming Sulphos himself as well. The Guardrangers wisely took this break in the pursuit to return to the ground.

They sank almost up to their ankles in mud as they touched down. The rain was falling even harder now. At this rate the Garganstah germ would be no more within less than an hour. "Looks like we've got that germ problem taken care of," Earthguard said, "But what about Fireguard?"

They all looked over at Hellscar's prone body. He wasn't moving at all, and his eyes had gone dark. Waterguard stood there for a moment, clutching the sides of his helmeted head, but then reported, "I…I couldn't make contact. Do you guys think that he's-"

He didn't get to finish that thought. Sulphos plummeted out of the sky and stood towering over them. He was obviously weakened considerably by the cleansing rain, but with his size he was still more than capable of taking them all out. The germs he'd carried were all dead, so he just raised a titanic foot to stomp them into the ground.

But suddenly he stopped in mid-stomp. Hellscar had revived, and a ray of thermal power from his mouth was burning into Sulphos's back. Sulphos howled and tried to fly out of the path of the beam, but his wings had been burnt through and were now useless.

"Nanda--??" Earthguard said in surprise, though in relief, "they seemed dead a minute ago."

"Well, the rain hurt the monster because he's a walking germ colony, but the element of the water and the medicine in it must've combined to heal him somewhat."

Hellscar continued to apply the beam. Sulphos was too weakened now to fight back or retreat, and within moments toppled to the ground and exploded. It was finally over. A crimson beam of light deposited Fireguard beside his relieved teammates, and Hellscar took to the air to return to his lair and recover.

"That…sucked," Fireguard remarked, glad that it was over and they had all survived.

"Yeah, but there's nothing like a last minute victory to make up for it," Airguard said cheerfully. And Forestguard smiled.

A few minutes later the Rangers had returned to the field hospital and opened the windows and other seals the investigation team had installed so as to let the rain and the medicine in. The civilians, formerly seeming to be in the grip of a horrible nightmare, smiled pleasantly in their sleep now as the drizzle sprinkling in through the windows touched them and began the healing process.

"That was a close call," Forestguard murmured as the Rangers, all exhausted from battle and stress, slumped onto any unclaimed horizontal surface they could find.

"No kidding," Fireguard replied, "Judging from that bruiser, Garganstah's got a nastier lineup of monsters than we thought. I wonder how we'll be able to cope..."

It was a pressing concern, indeed. It wasn't helped by the fact that the majority of the team had just sat on the sidelines as Hellscar duked it out with Sulphos, but they knew there had to be a solution somewhere.

A group of scientists, including Saori, entered and started packing up the gear they'd installed in that room. "What's going on?" Forestguard asked.

"We're getting ready to leave," Saori said, "We did some tests on the victims, and the germs are all dead. As soon as everyone's back on their feet, we'll be going home. By the way," she said to all of them, but especially to Forestguard, "thanks for all your help. All these people would probably be dead if you hadn't come along."

"It's what we're here for," Forestguard said softly.

"But speaking of going home, that's what we should be doing," Fireguard said, "It's been a really long day."

"No one can say you haven't earned it," Saori replied, locking eyes with Forestguard's visor. Seeing this, Fireguard signaled for the others to leave with him.

"It's been quite an experience," she said after the other Rangers and scientists had left the room.

"Yeah, that's for sure."

"It's a…pity we didn't meet under different circumstances."

"Couldn't agree more." Neither was really paying attention to what the other said. Just looking deep into each other's eyes, even though Forestguard's were still hidden by his mask.

And he wished he could just tell her. Who he was, where to find him, how to reach him, but it couldn't be. Perhaps later, his chance would come. And he turned to go.

"Wait…" Saori said plaintively, but she knew that he couldn't tell her what she wanted to know. They shared one last moment looking into each other's eyes, then Forestguard left.

Fate had brought them together once, and it might bring them together again in more favorable circumstances. But for the time being, the Guardrangers had to focus themselves for the challenging battles to come…


	6. Episode 6: Hour of Doom Approaching! The...

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 6: Hour of Doom Approaching! The Eternal Sentai's Darkest Hour

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

A cold wind whistled through the trees as the moon hung in the sky overhead, an ivory disc against the ebony sky that surrounded it. Armag's cape blew in the wind as he strode through the forest. He barely felt a chill at all. His mind was anywhere but on the wind.

It appeared to be a hopeless struggle. The Guardrangers seemed almost indestructible. No matter what plans he created to get rid of them, no matter what destructive powers his warriors brought to bear against them, he had been foiled by those do-gooders at every turn. Prevented from claiming the power he needed to deal with enemies much more threatening than those brightly-clad miscreants. And any day now those other enemies would be arriving and he was not ready for them.

_Damn them all, _he thought in frustration, _those Guardrangers are more of a nuisance than I'd counted on. Well, there's no more time to play games with them…I'll have to take drastic measures._

Armag turned to walk back to his cavern hideout. It irked him that his usually-refreshing evening hike had been completely ruined by the problem of the Guardrangers dominating his thoughts, but he'd have all the time he needed for peaceful thought after the Death Gar was in his hands.

As he walked through the false cliff face that hid the entrance to the cavern, Armag called out, "Arcume, come forth! Your Lord summons you to service!"

A hideous brute strolled out of the shadows. He was nearly seven feet tall, with dark red mottled skin and golden eyes. His muscles were enormous but there was, at the same time, an unmistakable look of ruthless cunning on his monstrous features. This was no muscle-bound oaf here.

"Yes, sir? What must I do?" he said in a rumbling voice.

"The time for subtlety has passed," Armag replied. "You are the strongest of my animated warriors. You are also my last, regrettably. It is up to you and I to obliterate the Guardrangers before my countrymen arrive on this planet."

"Of course," Arcume replied, "Let me face them, and I guarantee their deaths."

"No," Armag said, "I can afford no more such risks. Together they have overcome everything I have sent against them. Perhaps they are capable of defeating even you. No, we must divide them and render them helpless. Underestimating them has already cost me far more than I ever intended to pay."

"May I ask what role I am to play in this, Lord?"

"You may. Listen well then, Arcume. Listen… and learn."

Things were quiet as Ryuji locked up the Golden Bushel for the night. He didn't have much to complain about, though. His business was still doing well despite the demands on his time from his _other_ job, which itself was going quite well. It seemed like no matter what those Garganstahs did, it was never anything they couldn't cope with. Frankly, he'd expected more from an empire that was supposed to be able to menace the whole world.

There was just one thing bothering him. When he'd called Hellscar, his Guard Beast, to help him fight the giant monster they'd last fought, Beservor seemed afraid of something Hellscar might do. He'd been like that too when Hellscar had first revived. But Ryuji couldn't figure why. Hellscar was like an extension of himself. What could there be to worry about? Sometime soon he'd have to make space to ask Bes about that. Ryuji didn't like the feeling that there was something, probably something unpleasant, that he didn't know about the Guardrangers' most powerful ally. Great, there went his good mood.

But as he started walking home, Ryuji felt safe about trusting Hellscar with his life. The dragon was _his_ Guard Beast, after all, created to help him and follow his commands. And Hellscar hadn't shown anything but elation at being reunited with him after all this time (well, and a little guilt something Ryuji still didn't know about). Maybe Bes knew something he didn't, but he knew something the wizard didn't either. What it felt like to connect with another being the way he and Hellscar almost seemed to become one when they fought together. What could Bes be afraid of?

"Hey, bro! Wait up!" Jason came bounding toward him, white and blue-trimmed sneakers sounding rapidly against the sidewalk. He'd probably been late coming to meet Ryuji at closing time. The surfer jogged up to Ryuji's side.

"Yo, Jase, how'd the search go?"

"Still looking for work," Jason sighed, but smiled, "I mean, I've got more money than I know what to do with, but I don't wanna live off my contest winnings forever, y'know."

"Uh-huh."

"Still, I'm a smart, talented, good-looking young guy…" he grinned with no lack of pride, "I'll be able to find something soon."

"Uh-huh."

"Something on your mind, Ryu?"

Ryuji looked over at his friend, slightly abashed. "Is it that obvious?"

Jason smacked Ryuji playfully on the shoulder, "Don't play dumb with me, man. I've known you too long."

"Well, Jase…do you wonder about your Guard Beast? Bes told me we all have one."

Jason looked surprised by the question, but thought silently for a few moments as they walked along. Finally, he said, "Well, yeah, I have, a little. What kind of team would this be if only you got one?"

"Well, I don't think he's said anything to any of the others, but Bes seems afraid of the rest of the Guard Beasts. He's even afraid of Hellscar."

"That's not so weird. Who'd want to go up against a dragon?"

"Yeah, true. But I don't think it's that. I remember how when we had to fight that fire monster after he went giant and all, and Bes told me to call Hellscar, but like there was something he was afraid he'd do."

"Like what?" Jason asked.

"I don't know, but I'm positive it hasn't happened. I sure think I'd better find out, though. I just get the feeling that sooner or later we'll need all the help we can possibly get."

Jason gave Ryuji a strange look, "Wow, you've really gotten into this superhero thing, haven't you? I haven't been able to talk to you about anything lately without being a Guardranger coming into it. You've hardly even said a word about the Bushel lately."

"It's doing fine, I haven't forgotten about it. But I think our other job is a bigger deal. And don't tell me you wouldn't like having something like Hellscar of your own, either."

"Sure I would, but lighten up, dude. Being in charge of protecting the planet is fine, but it shouldn't cost you your sense of humor."

Ryuji fell silent. Was being Fireguard really changing him? He had to admit it wasn't that long ago that his only big concern was the business his restaurant did. But he'd come running when the others were in trouble, when only he could save them, even though a big business opportunity had fallen through for him. He had still come. He'd like to think he hadn't changed much because of this new, very large responsibility, but maybe his priorities had. He didn't know.

They drove to Ryuji's apartment while talking about less important things about their days and normal lives, then when they got there Jason said his goodbye and departed to his own place. Ryuji just sank into a chair, his mind still on everything he and Jason had talked about regarding the Guardrangers. He'd have to make a point of having a very serious talk with Bes soon.

The enormous crimson dragon cut through the clouds at a speed that would leave the fastest jetliner in the dust. It was a wild, free feeling, and Hellscar reveled in it, giving an exultant roar. Inside the giant beast, Fireguard felt the same thing. The day was bright and the sky the bluest either of them had ever seen. To think he'd honestly given back his bracelet before. That he might never have had such elevated experiences as joining forces with a powerful being like Hellscar. Sure, this was all just a dream, but he felt as if his sleeping mind had somehow met Hellscar's, and now they were both dreaming this together.

Fireguard grinned as he shared in the euphoria Hellscar was feeling. "You're enjoying this, huh, big guy?"

**_"_ AREN'T YOU?" **the Guard Beast's mental voice thrummed in his mind.

Fireguard chuckled at his giant friend's rebuttal. Hellscar didn't always make it a point to actually speak in words most of the time; the emotional bond between their souls was usually enough to convey whatever was needed between them, but this was an obvious exception.

Suddenly, the sun began to dim and the skies to darken. Something was wrong. An awesome evil was nearby. Sure enough, a huge, devilish shadow, hundreds of feet tall, appeared in the sky before them. It had eyes like hot coals and talons as long as a city block. It reached out strike the hero and his beast from the sky. He knew at once they had no chance against it. Its evil chilled the very air around them.

As the creature's blow was about to connect, a bright light suddenly flared up in the distance, stopping it in mid-swing. The light soon faded, to be replaced by four smaller spheres, all different colors. Blue, green, yellow and white. They shot out of the distance and slammed into the shadow, driving it back, and as they did Fireguard almost thought he could see shapes in them. Like…animals? He couldn't tell, but they streaked toward the shadow and smashed into it. There was a thundering roar from the shadow, then it exploded into a billion shards of blackness that were blown away on the wind. The colored orbs of light hovered in the air a minute, regarding Hellscar and his master. The shapes in them became more distinct. Fireguard could make out a large bird, what looked like a giant fish, something large and with four short legs, and…an ape? He wasn't sure.

Then he felt a sensation in his mind, like when Hellscar communicated with him. The creatures in the light were trying to contact him in that way! He didn't hear words so much as feelings, but they were unmistakable.

Complete us…complete us? What did that mean? As he wondered, they sped away like comets, leaving Fireguard and Hellscar to ponder what they had said, and what they might be.

As the sun rose over Tokyo that morning, all the people awake to see it knew it was going to be a beautiful day. A beautiful day for killing a few superheroes, thought one.

Arcume lived for battle. He'd hardly slept the night before and an hour before sun up was out performing his meditation ritual that he did before he knew he'd be engaging in combat. Even Armag wasn't up when Arcume rose from his mental prepping to gird himself for battle, and he was personally overseeing this next attack.

Arcume entered his chamber in the cavern, the one they'd dug out when they came a couple of months ago. He walked over to the rack against wall where his weapons hung, and picked up his wicked curved sword. This weapon would go down in the annals of Garganstah history when the Guardrangers died upon it. Armag's other animated warriors had thought to achieve such glory for themselves as well. But Arcume knew he was different.

Was he not the ultimate product of Armag's animated warrior creation? Had he not been saved for last because he was Armag's trump card? He was more than a match for a few Guardrangers. They would be completely helpless against his power…

The sound of metallic feet in the hallway caught his attention. The Silicons, ordered to mobilize themselves at this time in preparation for the attack, were filing in. Then another set of footsteps approached, and given how well the Guardrangers had been picking away at his foolish comrades, Arcume knew they could only belong to his leader. The warrior hastily but expertly donned his battle gear and entered the hall.

Armag was standing there waiting, all right, in front of the small army that his remaining Silicons comprised, dressed in the sturdy but elegant gold-hued armor that denoted his office. It seemed he knew this was his last chance to remove the Guardrangers from his path, and was preparing for a do-or-die assault against them.

"I am ready, sir," Arcume said, bowing respectfully.

"Good. You know what is expected of you," Armag replied. Arcume nodded. It was a statement, not a question, but he knew to acknowledge Armag when the Baron was speaking. "Go then. We will follow you soon."

Arcume turned and left the hideout. As soon he was outside, he changed into a ball of light and zipped toward Tokyo. The cave was a few miles to the west of the city, but that bit of information didn't matter to Arcume. Whether they won or lost this coming battle, it'd probably be the last time he ever saw the place.

As he cruised undetected over the city, he saw that it was beginning to come to life as the citizens woke and began to go about their daily business. They had no idea that their fragile peace was going to be shattered once again.

Arcume touched down on the top of a building and resumed his true form. He wondered at these people. So often were the likes of him threatening them and demolishing their buildings, their homes. They could take away everything a person had in a moment, his family, his job, his very life. How did they go on living constantly facing such dangers from "monsters" like Arcume? He knew Garganstah wasn't the first.

But perhaps that was the answer. For every inter-dimensional army or secret cartel bent on taking over this ball of dirt, there was a team like the Guardrangers springing up to stop them at all costs. Funny, really. It was like some kind of cosmic law of equilibrium.

Well, today he was going to be breaking that law.

That hinged on finding the members of the Guardrangers, however. But he was prepared. He seated himself on the roof where he'd landed and cleared his mind. There was a certain uniqueness to the Guardrangers, being imbued with a supernatural power as they were. That power was completely undetectable to normal people, but he was hardly normal.

Arcume focused his thoughts on what he knew of that energy, the sensations of it he'd received from the Guardrangers while observing them in battle against his comrades before. The elemental energy that set the Guardrangers apart from the rest of humanity was not so strong while they were in their human forms, but it was still there and he could use it to find them.

Arcume focused, then thrust out with his mind. It felt as if he had left his body behind, but he was just stretching out with his psychic power. His detection flew through the streets at the speed of thought, trying to pick up that faint resonance of being something more than human that made the Guardrangers stand out. He sped across numerous streets with his mind, finding nothing out of the ordinary about any of the scores of people he detected.

As he was just about to give up and snap himself out his trance, Arcume suddenly felt the kind of psychic tingling he was looking for. He stopped and surveyed the area, tracing the source of the elemental energy he detected.

It was a young man, a native by the look of him, greeting a friend, who looked to be an American. It was from the first that the energy was coming. Excellent! He'd found a Guardranger! But wait…

The energy…there was too much for just one of them. Could it be? Arcume focused his senses on the American, confirming his suspicions. Yes, he sensed elemental energy invested in this person too! One had an aura of vibrant red that implied heat…and the American's was a cool, but powerful shade of blue that gave the impression of dampness…no doubt he'd found the soldiers of fire and water. Two Guardrangers already! This was satisfactory to the plan, so he stretched out with his power to contact Armag while still keeping an eye on these two as they walked down the street.

_Sir, I've found two Guardrangers._

Excellent," Armag replied through the temporary telepathic connection Arcume had established between them, _I'll create a diversion so that their friends don't give you any trouble._

I am already familiar with the plan, sir, Arcume replied. From the other end of the line came what sounded like Armag sputtering for a moment, but then he regained his composure.

_ I expect no less for you. You are my best soldier. Do your job, then, Arcume. _Arcume shut down the connection. Then, before snapping out of his trance, figured out exactly where his two targets were in relation to him, then returned to the physical realm. He rose and smirked to himself, those Guardrangers were in serious trouble now.

"So Jase, any locations you've got in mind for the job search?" Ryuji asked as the two of them walked to the Golden Bushel to open it up for the day.

"Not yet, man. But I figure with a city this huge, there's gotta be _something _out there I'm qualified for," Jason replied. He was just glad to be talking to Ryuji about anything but being Guardrangers. Sure it was a big deal, but it was worrying Jason a little that it had almost taken over his friend's thoughts lately.

It was a great responsibility and Ryuji was rising to it admirably, but it seemed like he was becoming…less like Ryuji. Less like the fun-loving guy he could trade joking banter with; that little exchange they'd had in his apartment just before the incident in Izumo was the last time he'd acted like the person Jason had been friends with for years. His second encounter with Hellscar had him wondering about the Guard Beasts even more than before, it seemed.

Being a Guardranger was fine, Jason thought, but did it mean losing his best friend?

But before Jason could put anymore thought into the subject, all of a sudden, something huge and red dropped out of the sky into the street in front of them. Eight feet tall, with leathery red skin, black beady eyes and the face of an ugly fish crossed with an even uglier man, it could only have been a Garganstah monster. He wore body armor and helmet with the sheen of stainless steel, and a vicious-looking sword with a crescent blade hung at his waist. He leered at Jason and Ryuji, knowing he'd found his targets. There weren't many other people on the streets at that early hour of the morning, but those that were screamed and got the hell out of there in a hurry. With an evil guffaw, Arcume drew his sword and swiped it through the air. Energy formations shaped like the blade and glowing an evil cross of yellow and green jumped forth from the weapon and smashed explosively into the ground as the panicked civilians ran for their lives, just like he wanted them to. So he could deal with the two heroes with no interference.

Jason and Ryuji were hardly idle as he did this. "FIRE…FOCUS!"

"WATER…FOCUS!"

In a dual burst of red and blue light, the power of their elements flooded into them and swiftly wove their uniforms around them. Somehow this monster had singled them out, known to attack them. It was disquieting, that he'd clearly known who they were even in their human forms. But it was something they'd have to worry about later.

The Guardrangers immediately went into action. Just as Arcume was turning back to face them, Waterguard hurled himself through the air and drove his fist into the monster's face. His Shock Knuckles exploded with power as they made contact, shooting a very painful burst of electricity right into Arcume's kisser. He let out a yelp of pain and staggered back a few steps, but then looked at them again, smiling evilly. There was no mark at all on his face from the blow, and he advanced toward them.

**"Dragon Hellriser!" **Fireguard cried out next, focusing his energy. He spiraled toward Arcume, the familiar tornado of fire flowing from his outstretched fist around his body as he rocketed toward the monster. But as that fist was about to connect with Arcume's jaw, the monster grabbed it out of the air and stopped Fireguard in mid-flight, the fire trailing from his hand vanishing as his attack was foiled. Fireguard tried to pull himself free from the monster's grip, but Arcume's strength was too great. He raised his sword and with a vicious swipe, brought it down on the red-clad hero's shoulder, resulting in a cry of pain and a shower of sparks. Arcume grinned maliciously. This was even easier than he thought it would be!

Waterguard acted swiftly, whipping out the Eternablade at his side and hurling it at Arcume's head. The monster was as a swift as he was strong, though, and shoved Fireguard into the path of the blade. It struck Fireguard's back and bounced off his uniform with a burst of sparks, but he let out a yell of pain. _Great_, Waterguard thought_, there's a good way to maintain a friendship_. Arcume kicked Fireguard away, swinging his sword and launching a crescent blade of power from it toward the Rangers.

**"Dragon Steel!" **Fireguard shouted, his own powerful blade appearing in his waiting hand. With a quick swipe of it he deflected the energy blade harmlessly into the sky. He fell into a fighting stance, his eyes locked on Arcume. This monster was tough. Even using their weapons they'd probably be no match. So when Waterguard called up the Orca Brand and joined his teammate, Fireguard had other instructions for him than attacking.

"Call the others, man. I'll keep him busy."

"What? We don't even know what he can do. I'm not letting you fight this guy by yourself!" Arcume advanced on them, so Fireguard wasted no time with his friend.

"Which is why you should call the others while I hold him off. I think he's too strong for both of us. We need the whole team!" With that, Fireguard charged, swinging the Dragon Steel. Arcume met it in mid-air with his own blade and sparks erupted where the two swords met. They swung again and again at each other, their blades ringing with their repeated collisions. Then, with a lightning-quick move, Arcume's scimitar connected with Fireguard's abdomen. The hero stumbled back in pain and Arcume pressed his advantage, raking his blade against Fireguard's chest, creating a fountain of sparks. Another slash knocked him off his feet.

Meanwhile, Waterguard was doing as he'd been told. This was a truly formidable monster, and they could indeed stand some help. He concentrated on that otherworldly bond the team shared, reaching out to contact his allies.

He didn't even wait for them to acknowledge him before sending out his message, _"Guys, we're fighting a monster in the middle of the city. He's too much for us and we need help. Hurry!"_ Waterguard's mind snapped back to the real world just in time, since Arcume had decided to move on to the Guardranger who wasn't hurt. The monster's scimitar came down in an arc toward Waterguard's throat, but at the last second he parried with the shaft of the Orca Brand. Arcume was caught off guard, giving Waterguard a chance to shift his weapon into its battlerod mode and blast the monster in the gut at point blank. Arcume staggered back a few steps, his breastplate smoking from where he'd been shot, blue light fading from the point of impact. But other than a mild scorch mark there was nothing to show he'd just been shot. Arcume let out a triumphant sort of chuckle and readied himself to continue the attack.

Fireguard climbed to his feet and ran to his friend's side. He only hoped they could hold out until their teammates arrived…

Naoko strolled down the sidewalk at a relaxed pace, unusual for a woman who prided herself on efficiency and the advantages of working at a fast pace. But things had been too hectic of late for her not to want to unwind a little at least.

_Looks like there's something to be said for taking things easy after all, _Naoko mused to herself as she took a sip from her paper cup full of coffee--one of those crazy-flavored concoctions that people lived on these days. Naoko wasn't a coffee person by nature, but she'd found herself enjoying it anyway.

As the Institute came into view, Naoko felt something brush against the back of her mind--the familiar sensation of soul contact quickly become dominant. But it was different this time--the call was tinted with an urgency she'd never felt before. Quickly setting her purse and cup in a safe spot and making sure no one was looking, Naoko brought her fingers to her forehead and concentrated.

_"Guys, we're fighting a monster in the middle of the city. He's too much for us and we need help. Hurry!"_

__

Jason, calm down! Naoko ordered. _Where are you? Give me a location so I can--_

"Well, well, well," a voice spoke from behind, "What do my eyes behold?"

__

Naoko felt her blood run cold as the inhuman voice grated in her ears. She spun around and was instantly confronted by the gloating face of Armag, who looked for all the world like he'd uncovered the world's greatest secret. 

Which, unfortunately, was unbearably close to the truth.

"You…" Naoko breathed.

"And to think you pests were under my nose all this time," Armag scoffed. "I have to commend you, however; hiding in plain sight was an inspired choice. If not an entirely original one. You have my sincerest admiration, Guardranger."

Naoko's blood ran even colder. _He knows…Kami-sama help us all… he **knows!**_

Armag chuckled murderously. "Yes, I know **exactly** who you are, my dear Earthguard. I suspected as much when you didn't show yourself along with the other when I invaded the Terralogical Institute, but it's so satisfying to actually have concrete evidence before you."

"I'm sure," Naoko snarled with deep sarcasm. She was more angry at herself than Armag, even though logically there was no reason to be. She couldn't have known he'd be lurking around here, waiting to pounce on her, but it didn't make things easier to bear. "Well, now that you're among the informed, I suppose we should just skip the preliminaries and go right to the fighting then, no?"

"A woman after my own heart," Armag proclaimed, unsheathing his sword. 

"Gomenesai. But since it looks like my friends need a little help with one of your toadies, we'll have to do this another time," Naoko said, and turned to dash way.

"Silicons!" Armag shouted, and several of his metallic foot soldiers sprang up out of the ground around Naoko. She was surrounded! "You'd be better served with preserving your own life first!"

**"EARTH…FOCUS!" **Once again the power of the ground upon which she stood rushed into Naoko's being, swathing her in the brilliant yellow uniform of Earthguard. Just in time, because immediately a Silicon raked his sword violently across her chest, creating a burst of sparks as she fell back from the blow. The group of metallic warriors swarmed toward her, weapons at the ready.

**"SEISMIC. . .…FORCE!" **she shouted out, bringing her foot down with ground-shaking impact. The Silicons were knocked off their feet, and Earthguard darted backwards to get a little breathing room. "As much as I'd love to stay and settle with you, I've more important matters to attend to." Earthguard dashed down the street as fast as she could before the villains could regroup.

Armag was still on his feet, though. He focused his power and suddenly turned into a blur of red light. He streaked past the fleeing Earthguard, striking her painfully across the back of the shoulders as he did. The blur reformed into Armag, whose lips curled up into an angry snarl. "You aren't going anywhere, my dear. Letting you help your friends isn't part of the plan …" His sword sang as it sliced through the air toward her head, only to be stopped at the last instant as she brought up her Eternablade to block the deadly strike.

Armag lifted his sword to strike again, but when he brought it down Earthguard had swerved aside and the unearthly blade shattered the asphalt where she'd been moments before. As she rose to her feet and prepared to arm herself with the Grizzly Claws, two chains snaked out of nowhere and wrapped around her wrists. The Silicons wielding them yanked, pulling her arms out to her sides. She was completely defenseless!

Armag sneered at his catch, then thrust his hand at her. Bolts of red electricity shot from his fingertips and danced agonizingly across her body. Earthguard growled, both in pain and aggravation. Her teammates were fighting one of Armag's monsters, and she was stuck here at Armag's mercy. If they didn't get some help soon, they'd be in serious trouble. And yet if she didn't get help soon, so would she. That was just the way Armag wanted it…

Armag struck out at her with his sword, the tip of the blade digging into her chest in a burst of sparks. He dragged it slowly, pitilessly across her chest, an evil smirk on his blue face. Earthguard raised her foot, about to try her Seismic Force attack again, but Armag brought his blade down onto her shoulder, driving the heroine to her knees.

"Pity. I was so hoping for more of a turnout than just you, my dear. Still, one less Guardranger to throw chaos into my work," Armag said with a sigh. But then there was a slight rumbling to be heard, then felt in the ground. All of a sudden the street opened up behind the bound Earthguard and two figures--Forestguard and Airguard--came flying out of a wind tunnel to land behind the Silicons holding Earthguard in place. With a swipe from their Eternablades the metal soldiers fell, sliced in two. Earthguard pulled her hands free from the now lax chains.

"Two more? Well, this is a pleasant surprise…I thought it was going to be just me and your yellow friend here," Armag said.

"What are you two doing here? I didn't manage to call for any help…"

"Didn't need to. We were on our way to help the others but Bes told us he sensed Earthguard fighting a bunch of Garganstahs alone. He thought we should come even the odds here first."

_ That's what he thinks," _Armag thought, _ they've actually played right into my hands… _He drew himself to his full, menacing height and brandished his evil sword. "Come face me, Guardrangers! I don't intend for there to be another meeting between us…" He wasn't fooling. There was almost no time left to remove them and lay claim to the Death Gar before his pursuers arrived.

"Well, at least we all agree on that much," Airguard quipped.

Forestguard cocked back his arm and swung the Gorilla Vine, which coiled around Armag's sword. The strength of desperation was on the Garganstah Baron's side, though, and he pulled with all his might on the sword. Forestguard was yanked off his feet and landed in a heap on the ground.

Airguard took aim with her bow, firing a silvery arrow straight at his chest. The point dug into his breastplate but did no damage, and with a malicious laugh Armag pulled it out and cast it aside. He thrust his sword in their direction, and balls of crimson plasma jumped from the blade and exploded at the Guardrangers' feet, hurling them backwards through the air. They slammed into the asphalt and rose, aching all over.

Armag seemed different, with an air of strength and resolve he hadn't possessed last time. And the Guardrangers knew this would be no easy fight.

It wasn't going any better for Fireguard and Waterguard. The Dragon Steel struck against Arcume's body armor but the monster seemed completely unfazed by the blow. Arcume gave Fireguard a nasty head butt that sent him reeling.

Waterguard attacked. He pressed a button on the shaft of the Orca Brand, then jabbed the weapon into Arcume's abdomen. Electricity surged from it into Arcume's body, and he shook violently as blue tendrils of power flickered and jumped all over him. For a moment Waterguard thought for certain he had this monster, but suddenly, he was being lifted off the ground by an unseen hand! He dropped the Orca Brand, and the electric discharge stopped. Still floating in mid-air, Waterguard let out a yelp of surprise as the invisible power holding him aloft flung him through a store window. He slammed into a counter and fell down, but before he could pick himself up and rejoin the battle a vicious shock surged through his brain, and he blacked out.

"I have to give you two credit," Arcume said in mock respect, "I thought this was going to be a complete slaughter. But now I'll show you what I can _really_ do!"

This wasn't good, the thought occurred to Fireguard. Waterguard was down, and his own body was really starting to feel the effects of all this, now that he was holding himself still and had the dubious luxury of feeling pain. What was keeping the others? Well, whatever happened, he wasn't going down without a fight. He was the leader of the Eternal Sentai Guardranger. A fate he had come to accept. And that fate entailed fighting to the end.

Arcume had gone into some kind of trance, but as Fireguard's mighty Dragon Steel descended toward his head, the monstrous warrior snapped out of it and blocked with his own fearsome blade. The ringing of the impact could be heard for blocks. The two combatants pushed against the other with all their strength, trying to gain the advantage. Despite being the most powerful of Armag's animated warriors, the one he'd been saving for a last-ditch plan like this, Arcume found himself giving ground as Fireguard pressed him further and further back. Arcume staggered, almost falling over, and Fireguard struck, hitting the monster's sword with his own and knocking it into the air. It came down and imbedded itself in the street.

But Arcume laughed. Fireguard had broken his trance, but he'd gathered enough power to do what he needed right now. Arcume formed a circle with his thumbs and forefingers and from that circle lanced a bolt of azure power that bowled the red hero over. Waterguard was just coming around by now and jumped back into the street, but Arcume was ready for him and gave him the same kind of blast he'd just hit Fireguard with. The downed heroes groaned pitifully, but neither could move. Those blasts had somehow robbed all feeling from their bodies.

"I never thought I'd have to resort to my higher powers to beat you. Still, I'm going to be a Garganstah legend now for being a part of the plan that put the Guardrangers in the ground."

"What…the…hell…did you…do…" Fireguard sputtered, it being a Herculean effort to form each word and force it out through his lips.

"…to you?" Arcume asked, retrieving his sword and then grabbing each of them by the arm. "I triggered the sleep processes in your brains. In a few seconds both of you are going to be slipping into a very deep sleep. Not sure why but Armag wants you alive a little longer. But don't think about trying anything. I've paralyzed your motor centers, too."

In the few remaining seconds where he was able to form them, Fireguard's thoughts focused around one issue; were they really going to meet their end so soon after being reawakened? Surely things couldn't end like this. No, it was too soon. He'd never felt more alive than when he'd accepted his destiny. Was it really going to turn out to be having his life, and those of his new friends and comrades, snuffed out like candle flames this soon into the conflict? He had to gather his strength, had to fight back.

But he didn't get the chance. The world blurred, then faded into an inky blackness.

Armag lashed out with his sword, sending all three Guardrangers tumbling. He was fighting harder then before, and was no weakling to begin with. They had no time to guess why he fought so desperately, though. Armag and his Silicons closed in for the kill.

"**GRIZZLY CLAWS!**" Earthguard shouted, sinking her hands into the ground. Her fearsome weapons swiftly formed from stone and dirt. This fight was taking too long, and they hadn't heard anything from the others. They had to wrap this up and find out what was happening with Fire and Waterguard as quickly as they could.

The wall of Silicons advanced. There were at least a dozen and a half of them, but the Rangers weren't scared by those odds.

Earthguard swerved around, hands outstretched . **"PETRA--" **she intoned, her voice building in unearthly depth as a blizzard of white particles surged outward, catching three of the charging Silicons within the effect radius, their movements slowing to nothing as cocoons of stone began to form around them. Seconds later they were completely engulfed.

**"--CROSS SLASH!" **Earthguard lashed out in an "X" motion with both arms, energy and exploded, taking out the three trapped Silicons, and several of their comrades who were too close, with them.

Airguard dropped her bow, and cupped her hands together as several Silicons charged at her. **"BOREAN BURST!"** she shouted, a powerful bullet of compressed air forming between her hands. She hurled it at the Silicon in the center of the group rushing at her. It struck the ground at his feet and it detonated in a riotous outburst that reduced all of the Silicons nearby to lifeless hunks of metal.

Forestguard focused his power, then called out his attack, **"AURA OAK BUSTER!"** Glittering leaves of brilliant emerald energy began to fall, striking the Silicons and exploding as they did. The explosions blew chunks off the Silicons' bodies, and Forestguard didn't let up with the barrage of leaves until there was nothing left to menace him but a pile of smoking remains.

"Useless, utterly useless," Armag fumed, looking down at the debris that had been the last of his army. "Gods and minions, if you want something done properly…"

"Good help's _so_ hard to find, isn't it?" Earthguard said dryly.

Armag assumed a fencer's stance. " It doesn't matter--I'd planned on destroying you all myself regardless. Now let's see if your power is as strong as your tongue," he spat back. The Rangers didn't need to be asked twice.

Earthguard swiped at Armag's face with her claws. He dodged back and swung his sword at her solar plexus, a shower of sparks erupting as his blade connected. While Earthguard reeled back from the blow, Forestguard attack. His Gorilla Vine darted through the air, but Armag swatted it aside with an almost effortless sweep of his sword.

"I trust this isn't the strongest effort you have to offer, Guardranger," he said, a bolt of burning red stabbing out from his good eye toward the ground Forestguard stood on. It detonated with the force of a small bomb as it made contact, and Forestguard tumbled to the ground, and didn't move.

Airguard didn't have time to make a move before Armag saw to her. His fist smacked into her torso, and a wave of paralyzing pain spread from the point of contact to every nerve in her body. After a moment of that, she lost all feeling and fell to the ground.

"Nani…? I…I can't…move…!" she gasped out helplessly.

_Good old nerve blows,_ Armag thought, _I'll never regret learning the technique for them. _The effect was quite simple, using a good chunk of his energy to temporarily sever a foe's control over their body. The white Guardranger wouldn't be trouble him for a while. The same couldn't be said for Earthguard, however. She managed to recover and attacked Armag from behind, her Grizzly Claws digging into his back.

Armag turned at sneered at her. Dark blue blood dripped from the wounds she'd struck, staining his blue skin, but he didn't act like he even noticed. She slashed at him again, but he dodged back, tossed his sword into the air so that it came down straight into his belt, and grabbed the yellow-clad heroine by the wrists. Freeing one hand for just a moment, he toppled her with the same kind of nerve blow he'd used on Airguard. Earthguard tried to fight it off, resist the effects of the paralyzation swallowing her up, but it was no use. She fell limp to the ground, her voice straining to speak, but unable to get it out of her mouth.

Armag gasped for breath. Two nerve blows so close together had weakened him badly. He hoped the third Guardranger didn't have much left fight left in him. But the villain had no need to worry. For at that moment he heard a distant but familiar voice in his mind.

_"Sir, I've caught the two I've been fighting. I'm following the next step now," _said Arcume through telepathy.

_"Excellent, I'm bringing another hero to play with,"_ Armag replied, hoisting the incensed, but still helpless Earthguard into his arms with effort. He didn't feel he had the strength to ensure that his other opponents were dead, but soon it would just be the two of them. He turned into a ball of light the color of blood and flitted.

Airguard struggled helplessly, but she still had no control over her faculties. She looked over at Forestguard, who was still lying unconscious where he'd landed. She reached out with her mind, trying to make contact with the others, but the only active consciousness she could sense was Naoko's, and the strike to her nervous system kept her from making full contact.

A spiral of fear worked its way into Airguard's throat as she pushed harder. _"Tochiro? Jason? Ryuji…? Someone…??? Oh, no…Kami help me…am I the only one left…?"_

Airguard! 

Airguard gasped as the mental voice touched her thoughts. "Bes? Is that you???"

_What's happened, child? I cannot make contact with anyone else. Are you all right?_

"Bes, it's awful!" Airguard rushed out. _"Armag took Earthguard, and I don't know what happened to Fire and Water, and Forestguard--"_

_Airguard, calm yourself,_ Beservor commanded gently._ I sense you are in some sort of physical distress._

"Armag did something to me…I can't move. He did it to Naoko, too."

_It appears to be some form of temporary overwhelming of the central nervous system_. _Hold still, Miaka. _At once Airguard felt warmth flow into her being, the touch soothing and welcome. Within seconds, she felt the feeling and sensation of movement returning to her stricken limbs. She sat up and flexed her fingers a few times to get the kinks out before walking quickly over to where Forestguard lay and shaking him.

"Tochiro…come on, snap out of it!"

Forestguard groaned and sat up. He shook his head from side to side, and asked simply, "Did we win?"

"No. We got clobbered."

"And he just left us lying here?"

"He paralyzed me and Earthguard and just disappeared. It was like…like this was all some kind of set up."

Earthguard felt like she was climbing out of a well as her faculties returned to her. Even though her visor was tinted, she was still momentarily blinded by the light when she opened her eyes. She tried to get up, but realized there was no feeling at all in her body. "Nanda???"

"Good, you're up. We were wondering how long you'd be," Waterguard said in his typical jocular manner.

She was lying on her back and staring up at the clouds. Since she couldn't seem to move her head to the sides to look around, she could only assume the others were in similar positions, "Where are we? And why can't I move?"

"We don't know where we are. We can't move to check either," Fireguard's voice came from her left, "That monster we fought has some kind of psychic power and made it so we can't move. How did you get here?"

"The rest of us were fighting Armag. He…hit me and suddenly my mind shut off and then I woke up here."

"We have to find some way to get out of here…"

"Hey, Ryu," Waterguard interrupted, "seeing as how we're trapped right this minute, can I get something off my chest?"

"Yeah, sure…what's on your mind?"

"You've changed lately."

Fireguard groaned involuntarily. "Jase, come on, man...now's not the time."

That was good, he'd called him by his name, not "Waterguard." But he wouldn't be deterred, "This may be the last chance I'll ever get to say it, so I'm gonna. You've changed, Ryuji. You've hardly cracked a joke since you stopped complaining about being on the team. What's happening to you?"

"Nanda?" Fireguard quirked a questioning eyebrow.

" You used to be so laid back and anti-serious about anything but the Bushel. When I found out you were a Guardranger too I thought it was gonna be great, best buddies fighting to save the world. But then you complained, and then you stopped joking with me, and I just wanna know for sure what this has done to you."

Fireguard just lay where he was. He hadn't even realized. But now that he thought back on his recent interactions with Jason, he had to admit thing weren't like old times. But it was easy for Jason to say, he wasn't the one who'd been handed the reins.

"Well I don't know about you, but I happen to prefer the new Fireguard," Earthguard interjected before she realized what she was doing.

"Oh yeah?" Fireguard asked, suddenly oblivious to death no doubt hanging over his head and his friend's complaints. Earthguard realized what she had insinuated by saying that before thinking, though, and didn't reply.

"Do you mind??" Waterguard cut in irritably, "I'm serious, Ryu. It's like you've become a completely different person since you accepted the uniform. It's like I don't know you anymore, man."

"Like having the fate of the world dropped on your shoulders wouldn't force a few changes in your outlook, Jase? Ugh!" Fireguard snapped back. Waterguard was right, he had changed. But so was he. He didn't value Jason's friendship any less now than he ever had, but being given the kind of task he had required a person to reevaluate their priorities. But did it have to involve giving up who he was?

Waterguard's voice went subdued and contrite. "Ryu...I'm sorry…"

Fireguard sighed, but not out of irritation. "No, Jase, don't apologize. You're still my best friend. I haven't forgotten that. Yeah, I've had to make allowances for stuff since I joined up and having all that to deal with can change a guy. But it's no excuse for not seeing your side of this. Gomen, man...I didn't even think about how you must've been feeling."

Waterguard didn't have to understand. He'd had these same thoughts about the effects of the kind of responsibility Ryuji had been given. It was just accepting it that he was having a hard time with. But as he heard footsteps approaching, he knew at least he wouldn't have to die without getting the weight of that off his shoulders.

Armag and his monster leaned into their fields of view. Both wore triumphant smirks.

"Guardrangers, Guardrangers. I must admit, you've given me much more trouble then I'd expected. But the game ends now," Armag crowed.

"Have your monster take this cheap brain freeze of his off us and we'll _really_ give you something to complain over!" Fireguard spit back.

Armag scowled, and replied to this challenge by giving the helpless Fireguard a vicious kick in the ribs.

"You're pretty tough when we can't fight back," Earthguard said, for some reason trying to distract Armag from hurting Fireguard even if it meant becoming his target herself.

But he was no idiot. "Apologies, my dear, but I'm not one of those fool conquerors who can be goaded into making mistakes by a mild insult like that. You three have had your fun, but now it's time for me to have mine."

"Forestguard and Airguard will find you," Earthguard promised, but Armag didn't appear frightened in the least.

"If my monster and I defeated three of you, what threat could your two fellows pose? Let them come! I'll show them what a Garganstah baron can really do when he's at the end of his rope."

The Guardrangers gritted their teeth behind their helmets. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't move, muster their powers, call the others…Fireguard couldn't even seem to get through to Hellscar. Arcume hadn't left them with the freedom to do much.

"I suppose you're gonna plant a bomb or something and leave us to die, or something lame like that huh?" Waterguard spat.

"Heh. Hardly anything so grandiose, boy. We're going to dispose of you without sullying our hands on your blood, but we're staying right here to see that you're out of our hair for good."

"I can hardly wait."

Forestguard trudged along. He still ached from the battle, but he knew perfectly well, even though Airguard couldn't seem to stop telling him, that they had to hurry and find their teammates before Garganstah had the chance to do who knew what to them.

_"Have you been able to find them yet, Bes?" _The two Rangers were somewhere in the general wilderness area where Beservor had detected their friends' energies, but the location of the signals was constantly jumping around, and they'd no sooner been heading north than he'd told them he was now getting the signals from half a mile south.

_"I'm afraid not. Nothing steady, at any rate. But what I am sensing is from the general area in which you are heading now."_

"Maybe we should split up to find them," Forestguard suggested.

"Oh, no you don't, NO splitting up. After how bad we got clobbered before, I SO don't want a repeat performance of our last run in with Armag and his pet stooge. We don't even know what kind of power that thing has," Airguard replied.

"Point taken, but there's only gonna be two of us left to fight them at all if we don't find out where the others are."

_"I will keep trying, I assure you, Forestguard," _Beservor promised, _"but I cannot even make mental contact with them. Either something is interfering, or…"_ All three of them gulped at what that could mean about their erstwhile teammates, and said no more. The two Rangers set off into the wilderness again, leaving their disembodied mentor to try to locate the others.

"Where do you suppose they could be, anyway?" Airguard said after a moment.

Forestguard rubbed at his chest as a twinge of pain passed through his ribs. "I don't know…and I'd say we're better off saving them before we have to find out."

Airguard was worried. She still considered it the highest honor to be enrolled in a sentai, but with her teammates in the clutches of the enemy she was perhaps realizing for the first time what the real risks involved in this business were. Permanent harm, even death. Unpleasant thoughts of the other Guardrangers, tortured and near death, flashed through her mind. She shuddered involuntarily but pulled herself together.

She would hold her head up high and always come through for the people counting on her. That was what it meant to be a sentai hero. Right now she and Forestguard had to come through for the rest of the team, and she couldn't very well do that if she was being plagued by grisly images of what might be happening to them.

"Miaka? Daijoubu?" Forestguard asked, tapping her shoulder. As usual he sounded like nothing in the world could bother him. And even though he couldn't see it, Airguard smiled. She wished she could learn to take everything in stride the way he did. Even with the obvious threat of their friends' deaths hanging over them, he was keeping a cool head.

"Just thinking about what we have to do. It's kind of scary that everything depends on the two of us."

"Maybe."

Airguard blinked. "Maybe?"

Forestguard nodded. "Maybe. We don't really know if Garganstah's going to let them sit a while before getting rid of them or what. I'm not saying we should just sit here on our thumbs, though."

"That's true. But how can we speed up the search?"

"By doing what Guardrangers do. Man, I don't why I didn't think of this before," he said. Before Airguard could ask what he was talking about, he added, "You can fly, right? Get up there and see if you can spot anything. I'll see if my green friends have seen anything suspicious."

Airguard nodded, then summoned her power. She lifted off the ground, then took off into the sky like a rocket. Forestguard wasted no time on his own self-appointed task. He focused himself, becoming one with the scraggly grass and bushes around him. He reached out to speak with them, to find out if they had detected anything unusual. Because as cool-headed and simplistic as he liked to be, he knew that the lives of his teammates were depending on what results of the two of them could turn up.

Fireguard's mind raced, trying to come up with something, anything, that might be able to get them out of this. He, Water and Earthguard had tried to contact their teammates, but it felt like yelling to someone standing at the horizon. They seemed to be too far away to hear. He could still communicate with the two right next to him, but what good would that do?

Armag and his monster tromped up a hill behind the prone Rangers. They had moved beyond his field of vision, but maybe Waterguard, lying headfirst in the direction they were moving, could see.

"What are they doing? Can either of you tell?"

Waterguard grunted irritably, still completely immobile. "I dunno, man. I can't even tilt my head back far enough to see."

"Don't worry," Armag called, as if able to hear them, "it won't hurt for long. We're just going to roll a boulder down on you."

"I have to say this is sloppy procedure, Armag," Waterguard called back, "You're not going to tell us your evil master plan before you spring your death trap?"

"He's about to flatten us and you're making _jokes?_" Earthguard hissed in irritation. No, she was on _his_ back, great.

"It's either that go postal," he retorted.

"Naoko, let him alone." Fireguard said quietly, shifting his eyes in his best friend's direction, wanting very much to put an arm around him. "It may be his last chance."

"Why would I want to do a thing like that?" Armag asked, seeming genuinely surprised by the idea, "Besides, I gather you already know it." There was a creaking sound from where Armag had been talking to them, as if they were trying to lever something loose. The stomachs of the three Rangers tightened in dread anticipation of what was sure to come next.

"As I said before, Guardrangers," Armag said, sounding like he was getting ready to deliver parting words, "You gave me quite a fight, and what real warrior doesn't love that? Alas, all things must come to an end. That is, everything except my reign after you're out of the way. _Exorn,_ Guardrangers!"

The creaking noise peaked, then was followed by the sound of something very large, and very heavy, bouncing once and then rolling down the hill in their direction…


	7. Episode 7: Final Struggle! Revive the Et...

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 7: Final Struggle! Revive the Eternal Beasts!

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

The gigantic rock rolled down the hillside toward the helpless Guardrangers. They couldn't even move, let alone muster their powers to escape from this predicament. And what remained of the Garganstah forces they'd been fighting stood there, watching them triumphantly.

"I have to admit, Guardrangers, you gave me a real run for my money, as you humans say. I'm almost sorry to see it end," Armag laughed.

"I guess this is it, guys. It was nice knowing you," Waterguard said as the boulder started to pick up speed.

Fireguard tried to struggle. He refused to believe that this could be the end. Would they really be the first sentai to fail? And so early, yet? But this wasn't a game, there wasn't a guarantee that that good guys would win…but he'd be damned if he was going to just lie here and that let rock squash him.

"We're not dead yet, man. Naoko! You've gotta do something about that boulder!"

"Do what?! That block the monster put on our powers is too strong! I don't have anything to give!" She sounded close to total panic. And with good cause; the boulder was only about fifty feet away and they still couldn't move to escape it.

Fireguard's mind raced, then the obvious solution hit him. Forty feet.

"Jase…let's try connect souls like we do to communicate, but connect our power instead of our minds."

"Okay, I'm blanking here…what good'll that do, man?" Thirty feet.

"I think I follow. None of us has the power to break the lock the monster put on us, but if we pool our strength--" Twenty feet.

"Exactly! C'mon guys, quick!" The others complied. They reached out and connected with each other's souls as they did when trying to communicate with one another over long distances. But instead of their minds, this time they tried to connect the energies of the elements that made them more than human. Ten feet.

The air around them began to burn with power. Their special ability to commune with each other hadn't been intended for this. But it began to work, their combined energy flying from the GuardBrace of one Guardranger to the next, chipping away at the mental lock Arcume had placed on one of them, then another. Feeling returned to their limbs, and Armag and his monster looked dumbfounded as they felt their hold over their captives breaking.

Then, it shattered completely. Earthguard summoned her power over earth and stone, and the boulder stopped inches away from Waterguard's feet. "_That_ was close…"

Armag was taken aback, **"WHAT?!" **He took a step back defensively as the Guardrangers sorely rose to their feet. He didn't really need an answer to that question. Any idiot could see that the Guardrangers had somehow overcome the mental lock Arcume had placed on them to prevent them from moving.

"They merged their energies somehow and broke my control, sir," Arcume said unnecessarily, having sensed it with his enhanced abilities. There was more than a touch of fear in his voice, as he knew full well how happy Armag was likely to be at his last chance of ridding himself of the Guardrangers being thwarted. Arcume was in luck, though, because Armag knew he wasn't beaten yet.

"Damn it, I can **SEE** that much!" Armag growled with frustration, then calmed himself. "I was a fool not to do this in the first place," Armag growled as his sword slid from its scabbard, "Come, Arcume. Let's finish this the old fashioned way." The warrior and his sole surviving henchman dashed down the hill, toward the basin where the Guardrangers stood, getting their bearings.

He knew to expect it, but Fireguard was still bowled over as Armag charged down toward him and smashed his fist into the Ranger's helmet. Blood spurted from Fireguard's mouth, splattering the inside of his helmet, but he managed to stay on his feet. Armag struck with his sword, but Fireguard just barely managed to duck out of the way. The others were getting thrashed by Arcume.

This was just what they didn't need. They were still pretty mashed up from the fights they'd had with Arcume and his master, and sore from just breaking his spell over them besides. Still, it beat getting rolled over by a rock as a way to go.

Arcume brought up his sword to strike down Waterguard and Earthguard, but for their fatigue they grabbed his powerful arms before he could and held him in place. Try as they might, though, he had come through his recent battle mostly unscathed, whereas they were badly weakened from tangling with the Garganstah warriors. He cackled victoriously, freed his beefy arms, then knocked both Rangers down with a single swipe of his sword.

Fireguard was locked in a duel with Armag himself, but was in a similar sorry state to that of his companions. So while he did his best to block and strike with the Dragon Steel and his Eternablade, before too long Armag had penetrated his defenses and knocked the weapons from his hands. Armag grabbed the young hero by the arm, then kicked his sword away.

"I underestimated you, Guardranger. You and your infernal fellows have brought me to the very brink of defeat. But soon I'll be safe in the Death Gar and your head will be decorating my wall. Any last words?"

"Actually, yeah," Fireguard replied, "I have to give you credit too, Armag. You're a pretty smart bad guy. You made sure I couldn't get away before you said all that, and made sure I couldn't get my weapons back. But you forgot one thing."

"Truly? And that would be…?" Armag snarled, tightening his grip.

Fireguard grinned. "That I can do **THIS!**" At once, Fireguard burst into flame. Armag was totally unprepared, and bellowed in outrage as he got third-degree burns all over his hand. As he let go, Fireguard knocked him over with as strong a kick as he could still manage. Then he scooped up his weapons and ran to help his friends.

He really didn't have to bother, though. Earthguard had seen how he freed himself from Armag, and decided to get creative with her powers, too. She concentrated on the earth, the stone beneath her. As Arcume loomed over her, bringing his sword down for what he intended to be the finishing blow, she brought up her fist. Now, though, it was a fist of rock, and she smashed it into the oncoming sword. The metal creaked, then the blade snapped in two.

"You wretched woman! I'll have your--" Arcume raged in disbelief, but was cut off as Waterguard swept him off his feet using the Orca Brand. Fireguard dashed up to them.

"Let's get outta here! **MOVE**, guys!!"

Neither offered any complaints. Though they were putting up a decent fight, the aches and pains of near-exhaustion were becoming more than a little noticeable. The three heroes took off as fast as their legs could carry them.

Forestguard darted along. The local plant life had indeed seen two monstrous characters and three brightly-clad humans, obviously their prisoners, nearby. He'd called Airguard to catch up with him as he made all haste in the direction he'd been told to go by the plants, but was more than a little surprised as he was about to go down a hill and ran smack into a figure in a familiar blue uniform. It took him only a moment to realize he'd run into Waterguard, with his other two missing teammates right behind the one in blue.

"Why don't you watch where you're going, buddy?" Waterguard snapped, knocking his teammate in green in the chest with his forearm, but Forestguard could tell he was glad to see a friendly face.

"I would've," Forestguard replied, returning the jab, "but I was in a hurry to help some friends. Even though now it looks like I didn't have to bother. Daijoubu?"

"That's a literal way of putting the question. We have to get out of here," Earthguard said urgently, "Armag and his flunky are probably right behind us. I don't think we can offer much in the way of resistance…" They all whirled around as they heard angry shouts coming up the hill toward them. Forestguard cleared his mind and called out to Beservor.

_Bes, I found the others, but Armag's right behind us. Can you open a wind tunnel?_

I can, if you can make it about a hundred yards to the north.

"There's a wind tunnel a little ways north. You guys up for a jog?" Forestguard asked the others as the heads of the two villains came into sight just down the hill.

"Do we have a choice?" They ran north, Forestguard at a dash and the others limping behind him as quickly as their dwindling energy would allow. Behind them the two villains capped the hill and chased after them.

"Almost there, guys," Forestguard called over his shoulder to the others, as they neared the location where Beservor would be able to open a tunnel to take them to safety. Their pursuers were gaining, but it looked like they'd make it. He only hoped Airguard could see them and would be on her way to join them soon.

But then, disaster struck. Earthguard's foot caught in a small pothole and she fell heavily. Seeing this, Armag angrily thrust his hand forward, throwing all of his power into a devastating blast that screamed through the air toward the yellow Guardranger. Damned if he'd let them get away now. Earthguard winced reflexively as the bolt of power grew closer and closer, with no time to get out of the way.

There was a terrific explosion, and a burst of light that blinded everyone for a few seconds. But Earthguard realized with a start that she felt no pain from the blast. Then she looked back and saw why. Slumped on the ground at her feet was Fireguard, with a score of large, smoking blotches on the back of his suit. He had jumped in the way of the blast at the last second! Armag and Arcume cackled triumphantly and slackened their pace. There was no way the Guardrangers would leave their leader behind, so no need to wear themselves out.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" Earthguard heard Waterguard's infuriated voice roar from behind her as she rushed over to her fallen leader and gingerly rolled him onto his back, lifting him up to face her as the others moved in front of them protectively.

"Baka! Why did you do that?!" she gasped, feeling annoyed. Or was it annoyance? No, more…surprise, that was probably it, mixed with gratitude. He had just taken a blast that might have taken her out for good, after all, and someone jumping in the way of a bullet wasn't a familiar sensation for her.

"Hey…I'm the leader…I'm responsible for keeping the team safe…" he managed to gasp out, but it sounded to her like a flimsy excuse. She'd have to wait until later to figure it out, though, because the two Garganstah villains were upon them.

"At last, the end is here," Armag said smugly, blue energy burning from his good eye. "One shockwave of force to freeze you where you stand--then I'll slit your throats myself!" Water and Forestguard lunged at him, but he easily smacked them aside with his fists. Earthguard's Eternablade was in her hand in an instant, but she didn't relish the thought of taking on both Armag and his monster.

"As your native tongue expresses the statement, woman…Sayonara!" Armag said, slashing at Earthguard. She ducked out of the way of his blade, but didn't move. Fireguard couldn't get away and she couldn't leave him there. He gasped out a weak, "run," but for reasons she would be at a loss to explain, Earthguard ignored it. Arcume stood back, gathering energy to do she-didn't-know-what to her, but suddenly a silver arrow came flying down from the sky and lodged itself in his arm. Master and henchman both looked up to see where it had come from, and hovering above them, Hawkwing in hand, was Airguard.

"You!"

"Right on your first guess, big boy! Somebody get the man a gold star!"

"I should've known something was wrong there were only four of you…" Armag said, cursing himself. But Forest and Waterguard took this chance to strike, driving their Eternablades into the villains' backs while their attention was diverted. Then Airguard cupped her hands, and fired off a Borean Burst that knocked the two villains for a loop.

"I'm glad I found you. I got worried when nobody called me for a while," Airguard said as she touched town.

"We've been occupied elsewhere," Earthguard replied, still cradling her injured leader. He let out a very unpleasant groan, then burst into a coughing fit. _Bes, open the tunnel for us._

_Right away_, the wizard replied, and the ground opened up behind them. The two villains had just about recovered, but the Rangers didn't give them a chance to renew the attack. Earthguard was about to hoist Fireguard onto his feet to support him, but Waterguard was already there, his arms hooked under his best friend's, getting him upright. He nodded toward the wind tunnel. 

"I got him," Waterguard assured her, his voice soft. "Go." 

For the briefest of instants, it entered Naoko's mind to tell Jason she could handle things herself. But then she remembered how Jason had been feeling about the rift between him and Ryuji of late, and how they'd only just straightened things out a few minutes ago. No, she wouldn't rob him of his need to help his best friend. Earthguard nodded in understanding, and quickly entered the wind tunnel, Waterguard right behind her a second later with Fireguard steadied against his shoulder. The others quickly followed, and opening to the tunnel closed itself behind them.

****

"DAMNATION!!!!" Armag shouted. He'd had his enemies right in the palm of his hand, unable to fight back, and they had gotten away! Arcume cringed, sure he was going to become the outlet of his master's rage, but instead Armag took a deep breath, sheathed his sword, and walked off.

"Sir?" Arcume said, overcoming his surprise and following his master at a jog, "What's our next move? We're not going to let them get away, are we?"

"Hardly," Armag snarled, gnashing his teeth. "No, Arcume. We're not going to let them get away. But we're going to have to act very fast…"

Fireguard collapsed as he released his power and returned to plain old Ryuji. It seemed like an eternity since he had transformed into Fireguard, and wasn't sorry for a chance to rest. Jason and Naoko helped him limp down the stairs of the Earth Sanctum, the only place they felt safe going.

_"What happened?" _Beservor asked as they walked into the main chamber, bruised and bloodied.

"We saved them, Bes," Tochiro said, "but we're all pretty chewed up from all the fighting we've been doing lately. Ryuji took a real bad hit…but I'm not sure how bad."

_"Just a moment," _Beservor said. The lights in his globe jumped frantically the way they did when he was using what was left of his magic, and suddenly the meeting table that took up most of the room disappeared, and the chairs around slid up against the walls. In place of the table a soft-looking cot appeared. Jason lowered Ryuji onto it gingerly. The others slumped heavily into the chairs.

"Well, that sucked," Jason panted, sinking to the floor next to the cot. The ordeal he and his friends had just gone through had been semi-worthwhile because he'd connected with Ryuji about what being Guardrangers was doing to their friendship, but he was still in no hurry to go through something like that again.

Naoko's attention was still focused on Ryuji, as she kept him sitting upright to see just how bad his injuries were. Half-conscious, he didn't resist. The blast had apparently gone right through his suit, since there tears in the back of his shirt, too, matching the nasty-looking areas below where his skin had been charred. She made a small noise of uncomfortable surprise.

Jason grabbed Ryuji's hand in his own and winced at the sight. "Oh man, dude…"

Ryuji squeezed back shakily. "It's okay, Jase. It looks worse than it really is…I think." He was clearly trying to diminish the seriousness of all this, but it was obvious Jason didn't believe it at all.

"How much pain are you in, Ryuji?" she asked.

"Not so much," he said, though it was evident in his voice and face as he did.

"Will he be all right, Bes?" Naoko asked.

_"It would depend on what did that to him. It looks like he was burnt, but since he's the Ranger of Fire, he should've weathered most of it unharmed." _Naoko shut her eyes briefly, thinking about how maybe he'd done her a bigger service than she'd thought taking that blast for her, if his own power had lessened the damage and it was still this bad. 

"Yeah, it must've been pretty nasty if Ryu couldn't shrug it off," Jason agreed. "Arcume must be packing some serious juice." 

_"Indeed," _Beservor put in. _"But given enough time he should be recover." _

"But time is something we don't have much of right now," Tochiro said for him, "We're weak right now. Armag's not going to wait until we're in A-1 shape again."

"Yeah, but I doubt if Ryu's gonna be a hundred percent anytime soon …" Jason interjected, looking over sorrowfully at his friend. Ryuji had lain down on his side and drifted off to sleep, but looked like he could still feel the burns on his back.

It was an unpleasant situation, no doubt about it. They were shorthanded and injured besides. And any time their foes would probably return for another round.

Miaka stood up as if she'd just made some solemn promise to herself, "All right, enough of all this gloom and doom, people. We'll get through this somehow. We're the Eternal Sentai Guardranger. We're tough. We just have to believe."

"Well, _there's _simplistic thinking for you…" Naoko said dryly. She hadn't meant to sound crass or defeatist, but it _had_ been a rough day for her, after all.

_"She is right, Earthguard,"_ Beservor said, _"Although you derive your strength from the forces of nature, any sentai's true source of power is their belief in their abilities and teamwork. I believe you better than any of the Guardrangers should realize that."_

"I think she's just sour because she's worried about Ryuji," Jason said, patting his sleeping friend's shoulder, a joker's smirk on his face aimed straight at Naoko.

Naoko turned purple. "Baka! Omae o korosu!"

Tochiro chuckled. If only Ryuji were awake to see this. With all the danger they'd just been through and would probably go through again soon, it did his heart good to see they could forget their troubles for a little while. He wondered for a moment if this was how other sentai coped. Then he sat back and watch his teammates go at it, with Ryuji slumbering obliviously between them.

Armag and Arcume stood in the hills outside Tokyo. They were prepared to strike, armed with a simple, but devious plan to draw out and finish off their enemies. But at this stage in the game, it was also incredibly risky.

"You realize, Arcume, "that you may not survive this attack."

"Yes, sir," Arcume replied, faithful soldier to the end.

"Even if you meet your end doing this, have contributed to a victory over our ancient enemies and the re-installment of Garganstah as the dominant power on this planet."

"Yes, sir."

"Good," Armag said, pleased with his creation, "then gather your strength now, as you may not have much time once this plan begins to move forward." Arcume nodded, then went into the trance where he accumulated energy to channel into the offensive applications of his psychic powers. He would not be defeated, he resolved. He'd gather enough power to level this entire city if that became necessary. Behind him, Armag withdrew a pouch containing titan powder, that dust that enlarged what it was spread upon.

It was a crude plan, and though he didn't know it, it was the last resort of every villain who had faced down a sentai, enlarging their henchmen to turn around a lost battle and take it to a new level. His own followers had done so before, but this time…this time he some something a little different in mind than just increasing the size of the conflict. Even if Arcume failed, the Guardrangers would still be weakened from fighting him, and then…he laughed.

If this didn't work, he'd be dead. Either at the Guardrangers' hands or those of the ones who were on their way to Earth this very moment. It seemed a great joke to him now, that he'd come to this planet thinking it would be an easy chore to get rid of the Guardrangers. Yet no matter what he did, no matter how clever or stealthy his plans had been, he had been defeated every time, and was now depending on an almost sickeningly simple attack plan to pull his fat out of the fire. That he, a mighty and ambitious Garganstah Baron, had been reduced to this. Such irony he had never expected, and even though his life was on the line, he laughed once more at his situation.

"Sir, I'm ready," Arcume said, recalling his attention to reality.

"Very well," Armag replied, tossing the pouch containing the powder to his warrior. Arcume untied the drawstring, then held the bag over his head and dumped the golden powder inside on himself. Armag jogged to a safe distance as Arcume began to enlarge, until he stood tall enough to topple a skyscraper with his bare hands. He strode off toward Tokyo with ground-shaking steps. Armag watched as cars skidded to halts as people screamed and ran as this gigantic creature walked through the streets, crushing anything that wasn't quick enough to get out of his way.

With another chortle at his reversal of fortune, Armag changed into a beam of light and went to observe the carnage.

Naoko heaved a sigh as she sat at her desk in the Terralogical Institute. Dr. Amasada hadn't asked any questions about why it had taken hours for to come back from break, but she was making a point in her mind not to push her luck if she could avoid it.

She kept glancing at her Guardbrace, expecting at any moment to hear that the Garganstah were back for another fight. Naoko winced, still aching from bruises in places she didn't want anyone to know about.

But if she could, and she really didn't understand why, she'd still be performing a bedside vigil for her injured leader. Ryuji was the only one still in the Earth Sanctum, gathering his strength while the rest of them had returned to their daily business, waiting for the inevitable call to battle. But…there was something about him, who he'd become since he accepted what he was destined for. Something that appealed to her in a way that she was largely at a loss to explain. She wanted to be with him right now, to provide what help she could as he recovered from that shot he'd blocked to save her.

Why had he done that, anyway? He'd said it was his job as the leader, but…something rung false in that. But if he hadn't told her when he was smoking and injured, chances were he wouldn't tell her when he was walking around completely energetic and coherent again. She sighed. It would be an understatement to say that their relationship had gotten complicated in the short time they'd known each other.

She wondered if men were this confused about male-female co-existence.

Naoko stood up and went to the water cooler. A long drink of purified water did a little to clear her head and help her ignore the small pains that were still refusing to go away. Someone lightly tapped her on the shoulder, but this time Naoko wasn't so on edge that she almost clobbered them before seeing who it was.

"Naoko?" Dr. Amasada said, standing there with a semi-concerned look on his face, "You've been acting strange lately. Is anything the matter?"

Naoko normally probably wouldn't have said anything, but this was driving her crazy. She had to tell _someone._ "Actually, Amasada-san, I've been having these confusing thoughts lately…about a man." At that, he perked a bushy eyebrow and half of his mouth turned up in a grin.

"It's not like that," she said hastily, "he's just…" Naoko's mind raced, looking for a way to say this without giving away too much. "…just in this group I'm part of in my spare time. Lately he's been terribly nice to me, and I'm wondering why."

"I'd say you have an admirer," Dr. Amasada smiled, "It's nothing to feel uncomfortable about, Naoko. You are a very beautiful woman."

"Sir?"

He cackled, "Don't worry about me, married forty-three years. But I was young once too, and I had enough girlfriends back then to know a beautiful woman when I saw one."

Naoko wondered how old he really was, since he looked to be in his seventies but only taken a few days to recover from the injuries he'd sustained when Armag had invaded the institute.

"Thank you, Amasada-sama, but with respect--" she said, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"I'm not looking for anything from you, Naoko. I'm too old for a woman your age anyway. But I am giving you some advice about this. If this fellow's kind to you and you've been thinking about him, find out what he's like. Life's too short, Naoko. Just be on your guard." With that, Dr. Amasada trudged down the hall to his office and shut the door.

Naoko just stood there for a long moment, wondering at Dr. Amasada had said to her. But she didn't have long to think about it. Suddenly she felt the mental tingling that signified one of her teammates was making mental contact, then Beservor's panicked voice cried in her head, _Hurry, Rangers! Garganstah has returned!_

Ryuji began to stir from his vivid dreams of being burned alive by Armag, with flames that even he wasn't protected from. The wounds on his back still burned a little, but as he sat up in bed he could feel that nap had done him a lot of good.

"Bes?"

_"Please, Fireguard, just rest. We are in the midst of a crisis and I must think of what to do about it," _the wizard replied.

"Nanda?" Ryuji said, snapping to full awareness at the mention of a crisis, "What's happening? **OW!" **he yelped as a line of pain shot down his back.

A gap in the rock wall of the cave began to ripple and glimmer, then a picture of Arcume, giant-sized and shoving buildings out of his way, appeared in it.

"I've gotta get out there."

_"No, you must not. Your condition is still too serious. Let the others deal with this."_

"Bes, are you kidding me? That guy's two hundred feet tall! I'm the only one equipped to deal with something like that!"

_"Nonetheless," _Bes said, raising his voice for the first time that Fireguard had ever heard, _"you are still in no shape to fight. You Guardrangers heal faster than normal mortals, but it is still too soon. You would only aggravate your injuries further if you were to transform and battle now."_

But as Ryuji saw mobs of panicked people running with their children seized up protectively in their arms, with buildings tumbling around them and a police detachment making a valiant if impotent effort to drive the monster back, he wasn't thinking about his own sore back. He was leader of the Eternal Sentai Guardranger. It was the job of the likes of them to protect people from the likes of the monster up there. How could he just sit around while the monster tore Tokyo apart?

"Okay, but if not me, then let the others have their Beasts. Four should be able to do the job better than one anyway, right?"

Beservor was silent. Ryuji had cut him to the quick. Just as Ryuji was about to give the ball a tap to see if his mentor was still in there, Beservor said, _"You have no conception of what you are asking. You've no idea what they are truly like."_

"Don't I?" Ryuji said, getting angry now, "I'll tell you what _you _don't know, Bes. What it feels like to bond with someone like that. I've seen inside Hellscar's soul. Yeah, he's powerful as hell, but he's kind--more than that, he's my _friend! _ He'd do anything I asked him to. And you haven't given me one solid reason to think otherwise! What aren't you telling me, Bes? What are you so damned afraid of???"

Beservor was silent again, but Ryuji took that as a sign that the old wizard had been put in his place. He knew he was right. Hellscar was an extension of himself once they had joined to do battle. How could it possibly be different for the others? He turned and started climbing the stairs out of the Earth Sanctum.

_"Fireguard, wait! You don't understand!" _Beservor called, but Ryuji didn't listen. He had accepted his fate as a member of the Guardrangers, and only he was able to do anything against such an opponent. He would not, could not, turn his back on this anymore.

Waterguard ran toward the center of town as soon as he received the warning from Beservor that Arcume had returned. It felt odd to be in uniform again so quickly, but duty called. He wasn't really surprised to hear that Garganstah was back on the attack so soon, giving the Guardrangers so little time to recover. But still, it was a little disconcerting that he was going out to fight something about fifty times his size.

Earth, Air, and Forestguard were standing at a distance observing as Waterguard reached them. "Anybody got any ideas about how we fight something that size?" Waterguard asked.

"No, not without Fireguard up and about," Earthguard replied, though glad in a way that he wasn't there with them.

"We have to try _something,_ don't we? We can't just let the big ox run riot and roughshod all over the city!" Airguard appealed to her teammates. But that was when Arcume noticed the four brightly-clad figures over the rim of the building he was kicking over.

The Rangers dashed away as he stomped toward them. Waterguard ran, but suddenly whipped around and fired off his most powerful attack at the gigantic monster. **"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!"** A concussive whirlpool of glowing blue water exploded forth from the Orca Brand's blaster port. It would would've bowled over any normal opponent, doing considerable damage in the process, but the whirlpool just dissipated, not harming him at all, when it struck Arcume's breastplate.

"Pitiful little Rangers," Arcume laughed in a deafening voice, "You think you're any threat to me now? Typical, though, that you would come to fight anyway!"

"Miina! The Eternity Drive!" Earthguard called. He dashed to where the others were standing their ground, and each drew their Eternablade. They touched the tips of the blades together, and channeled their energies into the area where contact was made. A crackling sphere of elemental energy formed there, smaller than usual because Fireguard wasn't present to contribute his power, but nonetheless they used their Eternablades to push it at Arcume with all their strength.

But they were in for a nasty surprise. The Eternity Drive, their most powerful attack, exploded in Arcume's face. He cried out in pain, grasping his face with a giant hand. But a moment later he moved his hand and let out a demonic cackle. He hadn't been hurt at all! "My turn!" he roared, and called up his psychic powers. Explosions erupted at the ends of the street the Guardrangers stood on, then another pair of explosions, this time closer, then again and again, closing in with increasing speed and intensity! Before they could even think about finding safety somewhere, the explosions erupted from the ground beneath their feet, hurling the Guardrangers into the air like rag dolls. They landed in unceremonious heaps, their uniforms dirty and charred. Every nerve was registering pain. None of them felt up to moving. Arcume closed in for the kill.

"I won't….I won't …give…up!" Earthguard managed to gasp out. But suddenly, something huge flew past, blotting out the sun. It dove lower, and tackled Arcume back. It was Hellscar!

"Whoo! ALRIGHT! Go get 'em, big guy!" Waterguard shouted.

The dragon and the psychic monster grappled. Hellscar reared back his giant head and loosed a shockwave of burning red thermal power from his mouth that dug into Arcume's chest and forced him back. Then he hurled himself at Arcume, not intending to give the monster a chance to use his powers.

"Is he out of his mind?? What's _he_ doing here?!" Earthguard demanded, certainly grateful to have been saved, but annoyed that Fireguard was out fighting in his condition, even if it just by directing Hellscar.

"Saving our butts, looks like," replied Waterguard, "And personally, I'm not complaining."

Fireguard grimaced as he had Hellscar press their advantage against Arcume. His wounds had crusted over while he was resting in the Earth Sanctum, but when he'd transformed they'd opened again and now blood was slowly trickling out. He hoped he could wrap this up fast. But it was not to be. Arcume suddenly ducked under one of Hellscar's claws and somersaulted out of the dragon's reach. Then he exercised his power, picking up debris chunks of all sizes from the rampage he'd been on before the Guardrangers showed up to face him, and having it all fly at Hellscar at high speed. A girder smashed into Hellscar's neck. A hunk of concrete into his eye. Hundreds of tiny (to him) but solid objects smacked against his body forcefully and repeatedly. Hellscar growled in pain.

Fireguard clenched his hands into fists, concentrating on his link with Hellscar. "Easy…easy, buddy. I'm here. It's not that bad…" he grimaced as pain moved through him again, blood wet against his back.

**_RYUJI? ARE YOU. . .? _**Hellscar's psychic voice sounded in Fireguard's mind edged with concern.

"I'm fine, pal. But we need to end this--quick."

And on a rooftop a safe distance away, Armag observed all this. The Guardrangers had taken the bait, just as he'd expected. A shame that their leader had shown up before Arcume could finish off the others, but it was Fireguard and his dragon who were the major threats anyway. Soon he'd make his move.

The pieces of debris continued to batter Hellscar, but Fireguard got an idea. Just as he'd used his flame power to escape from Armag, he could use Hellscar's to escape this predicament. "Hellscar, ignite!" he commanded. Understanding, the dragon at once channeled his power into his metallic hide, and was engulfed in flame. He wasn't hurt, having been created from elemental flame, but the wreckage Arcume had been telekinetically bashing him with vaporized as it collided with the super-hot flame.

Hellscar switched off the flame to conserve energy, but then spread his wings and launched himself at Arcume. The monster struck out with a beam of mental power that collided with Hellscar's torso and pushed him backwards through the air, but Hellscar shot a blast of heat that struck the ground beneath Arcume's feet. He howled and hopped around as his feet sizzled.

Armag frowned as he watched the proceedings. It was a much closer fight than he'd been expecting. If Arcume didn't start doing more damage and soon, the entire plan might fall apart. But as he watched, Armag was amazed that Fireguard was still able to fight after that blast he'd taken. With that kind of fortitude, it was no wonder they'd been stopping him at every turn. Worthy adversaries, indeed. Just what he didn't need.

Hellscar used his advantage of flight, repeatedly swooping down at Arcume and slashing him with the sharp edges of his wings. Fireguard was learning from his battles, knowing he couldn't stay still long enough to allow himself to become a target. Especially against an enemy like Arcume, who clearly had a dozen or more ways of pounding his enemies into submission. But that wasn't Arcume's plan now. In his fixation of avoiding Arcume's physical attacks, he had forgotten that the monster could manipulate mind as well as matter.

"Okay! Dive, Hellscar!" Fireguard commanded his companion beast, readying for another swoop attack. But nothing happened. "Dive, Hellscar!" Fireguard said again, but still Hellscar didn't respond. Instead, he looked like he was panicking about something, thrashing about in the air and giving anxious growls. "Hellscar, what's wrong?!" the hero cried, but it was as if Hellscar could no long hear him. Hellscar went into a barrel roll, jostling Fireguard around mercilessly. The bleeding got worse. His vision blurred, then he blacked out.

And below, the Guardrangers watched in horror as the gigantic beast of legend careened out of control through the sky with their friend and leader within him. "What's going on?!" Earthguard said anxiously.

_Exactly what I feared when I had Fireguard release him,_ Beservor's voice echoed in their minds, _The Guard Beast has gone wild._

"Gone wild? Bes...did you know this was gonna happen?" Waterguard said, quietly, coldly. He was understandably not happy with his mentor for not saying sooner that the Guard Beasts would turn out to be something they couldn't control, what with his best friend up there now.

Beservor sighed through the spiritual connection. He'd never wanted it to come to this. But now he might as well tell them the story of the Guard Beasts.

_Back during the first conflict, each Guardranger was paired with a giant creature matching their element and possessing great power. There were times when you could not stand up to Garganstah's creations alone, and when those times came the Guard Beasts were invaluable allies. But, after Garganstah had fled and when you had died…_

_What, Bes? What happened? _Airguard asked. 

_They went wild. I do not know why. But there existed no power in the world that could stand up to them, and in their rage...they sank the entire continent of Gargan. So…I was forced to put them into suspension. When I had Fireguard release Hellscar, I had hoped he would just attack and destroy the monster. Somehow Fireguard had regained control of him. But now he has gone wild again. If only we knew why and how to prevent it…_

So, that was the story. But they didn't have time to think about it as Hellscar crashed to the ground. He swung his head back and forth, as if trying into focus his thoughts, spewing blasts of red energy around as he did. Arcume didn't know what was going on, but knew better than to pass up an opening like this. He held up his warty hands, and blasts of mental force ripped from them and into Hellscar. The dragon fell onto his back, badly damaged. But as he toppled over, Fireguard was jolted awake.

He groaned, his vision blurred from just awakening, and not helped by his bleeding wounds, but it cleared after a moment. "Oh, man...What--what's going on…?" He couldn't see anything through Hellscar's eyes, since the dragon was on his back, but he could feel another blast tearing into Hellscar's belly.

"Hellscar...what's wrong?? C'mon, big guy, get up and attack!" he said, but Hellscar didn't even try. He was still thrashing around helplessly, as if he'd lost his ability to think. Fireguard's vision started to blur again. He had to do something, fast, but what? Hellscar wouldn't respond to his commands, and…wait. Arcume had used his power to mess with the Ranger's brains before, preventing them from moving or making contact with their teammates. That had to be why Hellscar wasn't answering him back. Like there was some kind of wall between them.

But he was alone in fixing it. Only he could connect with Hellscar, and did he have enough energy of his to break a mental lock powerful enough to separate his and Hellscar's mind? He'd have to try.

Fireguard concentrated. On the pedestal in front of him, set with the likeness of Hellscar in it. He focused all of his willpower, all of his flame power, all of the force of his concentration together, then projected it all into that stone through the bond he and Hellscar had. It began to glow, then Hellscar stopped thrashing around like a turtle on his back. "Hellscar…can you hear me now?" Fireguard said slowly.

**_YES. I...I'M SORRY...I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED..._ **Hellscar's voice was tinted with confusion, and a string of shame washed in.

"It's okay, buddy," Fireguard patted the control crystal in front of him reassuringly. "I didn't figure it out myself until a minute ago. Can you keep going?"

Hellscar took a minute to respond, hauling himself to his taloned feet amidst Arcume's hail of mental blasts, then gave an affirmative roar. The other Guardrangers cheered as they realized Hellscar had come back under control, but Fireguard knew this his giant ally was near the limit of his energy. All those blasts had taken their toll. Time to finish this.

**"HELLSTORMER!" **Fireguard shouted. Hellscar responded at once, his wings glowing as they accumulated energy and transferring it into Hellscar himself, and then the dragon let loose with a beam of burning energy from his mouth. Arcume saw the beam coming, but fired back with one of his own, meeting it half-way. He wasn't going to just lie down and die. He started to push the Hellstormer back to its source, but suddenly, the beam he was using fizzled out and disappeared. He'd used up all of his accumulated power. Unhindered now, the Hellstormer slammed into him, and Arcume's body charred and vaporized in the infernal heat, then finally exploded.

The Guardrangers cheered, Hellscar gave a victorious roar. Whatever the problem had been that made the Guard Beasts go out of control before, it seemed Fireguard had conquered it.

_Hey buddy, you guys okay in there? _Waterguard said telepathically to Fireguard.

_Yeah we're fine, Jase. Let's go home_, he replied, trying not to let on how faint he was feeling from blood loss. But suddenly they spotted a familiar figure coming down the street.

"You truly think it so simple, do you? Well...allow me to remind you exactly _who _ has the power here!" he said derisively. It was Armag. He looked like he was gunning for a fight, but instead of his sword, a small pouch was in his hand. He wasted no time in bantering with his hated enemies. He tore open the pouch and poured the titan powder inside over himself. Arcume had failed to rid him of the Guardrangers, but he had softened up Hellscar pretty well. Now he could safely finish the job.

As Armag's giant foot sent tremors through the ground and the Guardrangers running, Fireguard groaned. His knees buckled and once more his vision started to get blurry. The bleeding had gotten worse, and he couldn't ignore it anymore. He knew that any second, he was going to black out, maybe never to wake up, it was that bad, and without anyone to guide him, the already-weakened Hellscar wouldn't stand a chance. But there was nothing within his power to do about it. "Well…at least I tried…Guys...Hellscar...I'm sorry..." he said to himself, seconds before he collapsed and his world went dark.

Hellscar's head fell as he reverted to his near-mindless state again. Normally in this condition he'd be attacking everything in sight, but there was that giant blue man lashing at him with a sword, and even without a guide to his actions, Hellscar could tell that this was a threat. Unfortunately, Armag was a mighty warrior indeed, especially when literally fighting for his life as he was now. That added to Hellscar's depleted strength and lack of guidance made for a very uneven fight. Armag danced around the feral dragon, quickly and expertly striking with his sword, slashing vulnerable points places where he'd been wounded already by Arcume. Hellscar roared in animalistic fury.

"This is bad…something must've happened to Ryuji again," Waterguard said, more than an edge of anxiety in his voice. Above them, Hellscar flailed at Armag with his claws, but they did no damage to the warrior's armor. Armag laughed, dealing now what he intended to be the finishing blow. The sword collided with Hellscar's neck, creating a fountain of sparks. Hellscar gave a weak, plaintive roar, then crumpled. The light in his eyes went out, and he didn't move.

The Rangers began to panic. Hellscar had fallen and there was telling what had happened to their leader. Only Earthguard remained calm, analyzing the situation. Recent experiences had taught her a lot about keeping her head during dangerous situations like this. It was up to them to save Fireguard, and they needed a plan to do it. As they were, there was nothing they could do against Armag. Their futile attempt to fend off his monster had proven that. But obviously that only left one other option.

_Bes, tell me how to release the other Guard Beasts._

"You cannot be serious!"

We've no other choice!. Our powers are no good against something that size. If we don't act now Ryuji and Hellscar are both doomed!"

There was a long pause, but finally, Beservor replied. "_Very well. Focus your powers into you Guardbraces, then have the others call 'Guard Beasts, Awaken!' with you."_

"Miina, listen to me," Earthguard said, immediately gaining the attention of the rest of the team, "Bes told me how to call the other Guard Beasts. We have to call them quickly!"

She explained what Beservor had told her to do. They all nodded and prepared to make the call. As they did, Armag spotted them standing in the street. He swung with the flat of his enormous sword, looking to squash them all into the pavement, but as one, they called out, "GUARD BEASTS, AWAKEN!" And as they did, they felt a strange pulling sensation, then turned into streaks of light and flew off in different directions.

"What the--" Armag bellowed. He'd had them right where he wanted them! Where had they gone?

Where, indeed. Waterguard's blue streak plunged into the depths of the ocean. The yellow bolt that was Earthguard raced into a sub-terranean cave beneath a mountain. Airguard flew into the clouds, and Forestguard into a gigantic tree in the middle of an ancient forest. Each stood in a darkened room, but lights came on and they all found themselves standing in a gigantic chamber lined with crystal formations of colossal size. But what stood out the most were the ornate pedestals set in the center of each chamber in front of them, a triangular black stone with a brightly colored inlay in the center, modeled the image of their respective costume insignias.

_Guys? Where are we? _

_I…I think we're inside the Guard Beasts._ Earthguard replied. The yellow center of the stone in front of her began to glow and resonate, and suddenly an etching of a bear's head appeared in it. She heard a growl, then a window-like gap straight ahead of her came to life, and then a soft but strong voice sounded in her head.

**"HELLO, EARTHGUARD. IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG TIME."**

"It certainly has…Terraclaw," she said, the name just appearing in her mind. Then, as if sensing her urgent desire to get back to Tokyo and save her leader before it was too late, Terraclaw barreled out of the cave where she slept.

She was a boxy metallic bear colored in bright metallic yellow and silver, with four short, clawed legs on his underside. But despite however awkward she might have looked, she was fast and Earthguard could tell she was now in command of a powerful creature of her own.

From the other places the Guardrangers had gone came other creatures. A gigantic killer whale with gleaming blue metal skin, Tidalstorm, exploded out of the ocean and swam through the air with Waterguard aboard. From out of the sky came Windshear, a massive white hawk with a black dome on his back and glistening golden talons and gold trim on her colossal wingspan, the companion beast of Airguard. And from within the depths of the forest lumbered Treebasher, a gigantic emerald and gold gorilla who took his orders from Forestguard.

"Whoo, man! This is awesome!" Waterguard whooped as Tidalstorm whipped along at hundreds of miles an hour. The orca gave a proud trumpeting sound to be reunited with his companion after spending so long in dreamless slumber. All of the Guardrangers now sensed a sense of relief and wholeness from their beasts, as if they'd just been released from some kind of imprisonment and were now allowed to rejoin the Rangers, which they had, come to think of it.

The Guard Beasts came from all directions and converged on Tokyo. As they did, Waterguard realized how Fireguard had felt after claiming his own Guard Beast. It was such a welcome feeling, becoming one with the thoughts and sensations of a creature so powerful. He felt invincible, and for a moment forgot that they were racing to save Fireguard's life.

He reached out telepathically to Airguard, curious to see what a sentai fan's reaction to getting a giant creature of their own to command was. _Hey, Airguard, how's the ride for you?_

It's amazing! I always dreamed about what it be like to have my own personal mecha, and this is even heavier than I'd imagined.

Heavy indeed. The Guard Beasts weren't simple mecha, they were living things in their own right. Powerful creatures of the elements, not just lifeless machines. And they were going to see what these creatures of the elements could do against Armag.

The Guard Beasts could be felt coming from miles away as they converged on downtown Tokyo with mind numbing speed for creatures their size. Armag sensed the approach of the four powerful beasts more keenly than the people in the city around him. Four sources of intense elemental energy, four sources of vengeful rage coming to save their friend and destroy him. Well, let them come. He might have lived like a petty power monger, but he would die like a warrior.

Armag wasn't even surprised when he saw a gigantic green ape thundering down the street toward him on all fours. Right behind it were the other Guard Beasts. Yes, indeed. The longer it took to defeat the Guardrangers, the more powerful they became. This would be a spectacular fight.

The Guard Beasts drew closer, and Armag readied his giant blade. But as he swung it at Treebasher, the nimble gorilla darted to the side and grabbed the blade with his mighty hands.

Tochiro Tsuchida had never believed in violence, and had several times wondered why he had so readily accepted the Guardbrace when he knew what would be expected of him when he did. But Fireguard, this friend…this example to them, had risked, possibly even forfeited his life to come to their rescue against Armag's monster. Destined for a life of combat and whether it clashed with his beliefs or not, Forestguard wasn't going to let a sacrifice like that be in vain.

Treebasher snapped Armag's sword in two a roar of fury. The ape felt the same anger at the potential loss of a friend and comrade, and desire for retribution. Treebasher dug his giant fists into the ground and swung feet-first at his enemy. His feet smashed into Armag's torso, sending him skidding down the street. Hard.

Tidalstorm and Windshear spiraled in to attack, brilliant blue and white energy blasts lancing outward from them and exploding all around the downed Armag in a symphony of destruction.

"This is too easy!" Waterguard exclaimed as Armag, the leader of the forces they'd been fighting, just lay there and took it.

Of course, he spoke too soon.

Tidalstorm dove toward Armag to attack close in, when all of a sudden Armag's fist shot out, glowing red. He wasn't sparing any energy this time. He was taking them down hard and fast!

As his fist connected with Tidalstorm's underbelly, the red glow leaped up to surround the Guard Beast instead of Armag's fist, and after a second faded away. But as it did, Tidalstorm dropped to the street like a sack of cement.

"What the--**HEY!**" he shouted in alarm, unable to get the killer whale to respond. But the others knew. Armag had dealt one of those terrible, paralyzing blows he had used on them. It seemed even more effective now, with Tidalstorm lying as if dead on the ground. Armag seized up Tidalstorm, intent on tearing him in two.

Treebasher and Terraclaw charged forward before they lost another teammate, but Armag instead tossed Tidalstorm right at them, knocking the two of them over. Then before they could recover he hurled a ball of orange light from his hands that exploded in their midst, staggering them.

But in an instant the ape and bear were back up. They wouldn't be beaten so easily. Windshear grabbed Armag's shoulders with her talons and climbed into the sky with all the speed and strength she possessed. Five hundred feet up, she let go. Armag tumbled helplessly through the air, Treebasher and Terraclaw looking to give him a painful welcome after he landed. But he leered at them, then disappeared into thin air!

"Nanda?? Where is he??" Forestguard asked. The instant Armag reappeared right behind Treebasher and sent the ape tumbling a nasty kick to his back. Before he could do anything to her, Terraclaw sank her diamond hard teeth into his shin. He growled in pain, bringing his fists down on her back and making the metallic bear release her grip. The Beasts of forest and earth retreated back a few steps up and charged him again. Armag replied with a blast from his fingertips that completely decimated a five-block area around the Guard Beasts when it struck. But the blast missed them as they instinctively leaped skyward to avoid the carnage.

A bit battered by the shockwaves that ensued, Treebasher bellowed what sounded like a war cry and grabbed a huge chunk of asphalt that had been blown into the air from the street below and threw it at Armag. The Baron was taken by surprise as the slab of debris smashed into his face, but only looked angry after a second to recover. He prepared a blast to retaliate, but Terraclaw jumped into the air and when she came down, a tremor erupted and knocked him off-balance.

_Kami-sama…This is getting serious, _Earthguard remarked, looking at the devastation around them.

_I know! The collateral damage's building up like crazy_, Forestguard came back, although But as they talked, Armag suddenly darted forward, summoning up the power for another nerve blow. Forestguard noticed just in time, and Treebasher hastily grabbed his arm before he could deliver the blow. Terraclaw lunged in to attack Armag, but he kicked her to the side and into a row of cars nearby. Meanwhile, Treebasher's grip began to shake and loosen as Armag forced his fist closer, and closer, using all of his strength to drive home a nerve blow and remove another Guard Beast from this fight…

Meanwhile, Windshear was circling above the inert Tidalstorm, frantically trying to think of what to do.

_Any ideas on what to do yet?_

_I wish. How are the others doing with Armag?_

_Not so good. If we don't get back in the fight like now, they're going to be in trouble._

_Dammit! C'mon, big buddy...give me something here--anything! _Waterguard fumed, more to himself than to Airguard. Tidalstorm was totally lifeless, and no matter how hard he tried to force a reaction, Waterguard got nothing. He felt like if the Guardrangers lost, it would be his fault. Forestguard and Earthguard were doing their best against an enemy too strong for them, Airguard was helping to try to figure out a way to get him back into the fight, and Fireguard…well, he didn't want to think about that until it was safe to check on him. They still had a battle to win.

Suddenly, he felt Tidalstorm rising to the air. Had he finally broken Armag's spell, such as it was, over his beast? No, nothing happened when he sent a command for Tidalstorm to rejoin the fight. He saw through the window of Tidalstorm's eyes that they were still ascending, then stopped and began to fly off in the direction of the bay. But he couldn't see Windshear. What was going on?

_Miaka? What's the deal? Why am I up in the air?_

_I'm carrying you. I have an idea. It seems kind of fantastic but I can't think of anything else._

Within seconds they were over Tokyo Bay, and once they were clear of the ships in the harbor, Windshear let go, dropping Tidalstorm into the water like a giant blue bomb before Waterguard could protest. There was no time. Tidalstorm sank like a stone, and Waterguard felt about to panic, wondering what crazy thought had entered Airguard's mind that sentencing him to a watery grave was the smart thing to do

Tidalstorm sank deeper and deeper, but as he did, the lights in Waterguard's cavernous cockpit seemed to get brighter and brighter. Then there was a powerful, thundering call that seemed to come from all around him. Then the view from Tidalstorm's eyes shifted and he could tell they were swimming toward the surface, and suddenly it all made sense. Water, what surrounded them now, was his the source of his powers, of Tidalstorm's. Why shouldn't being covered in it enhance their power and cleanse them of their ills? And when the great killer whale flew out of the bay, Airguard breathed a sigh of relief.

_Sugoi! It worked!_

_Damn straight it did! And your crazy idea just gave **me **a crazy idea!_

Treebasher still struggled with Armag. He had the most raw strength of any of the Guard Beasts, but even he was losing to Armag's might. But strength wasn't his only ability. Just as Armag was about to break his grip, Treebasher suddenly let go and effortlessly somersaulted backwards, letting Armag tumble face-first to the ground.

_Good job, but it still doesn't seem like we're getting anywhere with this brute, _Earthguard said as Treebasher rolled to his feet at her own Beast's side.

_So I've noticed! I guess we're gonna need something more! _They readied their Beasts to attack at once, and charged Armag as he got up, hoping a simultaneous attack might yield better results than when they'd attacked singly. Armag raised a pointing finger and blasted a bolt of crimson lightning at them, but the Guardrangers were getting better at commanding their giant allies, and dodged aside so that the bolt passed harmlessly between them. It exploded down the street, with a spectacular giant fireball. And unnoticed by any of them, Hellscar stirred for a second.

Something about the urgency of the situation, the need to stop Armag before even more of Tokyo was turned into a suitable condition to be blown away on a light wind, formed a series of words in Earthguard's mind. At once she knew what they were, the name of Terraclaw's Final Attack, and she used it at once.

**"CRYSTAL IMPACTOR!" **Earthguard called out, Terraclaw's eyes flared fierce yellow and twin blasts of light stabbed into the earth at Armag's feet. There was a distant rumbling beneath him, and when Armag looked down to see what it was, a gigantic shard of razor sharp crystal shot out of the earth and slashed his arm. Terraclaw kept it coming, spires of crystal spiking upwards from the ground until Armag was gone from view. Before any feelings of triumph could manifest themselves, however, the crystal formations shattered in a burst of blinding light. Armag stood, gasping in air angrily were he had been buried a moment before, his clothes shredded and his body marred by cuts and trails of blue blood.

"Time to die, Rangers!" he shouted at the top of his voice, making buildings shake half a mile away. They could tell he was getting tired of this. And he was. He had come here expecting to make quick work of the Guardrangers, find what he needed and then deal with his pursuers. Now here he was, fighting all alone with his real enemies a day away at the most. And even with their leader fallen, the Guardrangers continued to plague him.

Sometimes it really didn't pay to try to conquer the world.

Armag angrily thrust his outstretched hands to the sides, power dancing along his fingertips and into the ground around him. As they were wondering what he was up to, Forestguard suddenly noticed the ground in front of him starting to bulge threateningly, and Treebasher jumped backwards just in time to avoid a geyser of white-hot energy that erupted where he'd been moments before.

But Armag didn't let up. More bulges appeared, spewing hot energy into the sky and just missing the Guard Beasts as they bolted through the ruined area as quickly as they could to stay out of the way.

Forestguard was starting to feel vastly out of his league. Armag was powerful, maybe more than all the Guard Beasts put together. What chance did just the two of them stand, and where were the others right now?

But as outclassed as he might have felt, he knew he didn't want to die running like some kind of frightened animal. The two Guard Beasts skidded to a halt behind a building that was still standing, safe for a moment, and Armag ceased the bombardment of energy geysers to catch his breath. There was another building next to the one they were using for cover, and as Forestguard looked up to see how much had survived, a thought began to form in his mind.

Treebasher hurled himself onto the side of one building, sinking his giant fingers into the side, then turning and bounding up to the side of the other building, sinking his fingers into that as well to hold himself steady while he prepared another leap to the side of the other building. Within seconds he was on his way to the top of the building.

_Where are you going??? _Earthguard demanded, just as she noticed two objects in the sky rapidly flying closer to them. It was Windshear and Tidalstorm, fully recovered, it looked like. About time some help came.

_Back just in time, looks like. You okay?_

_Hardly! Speaking of time, I can't imagine we have much left. Armag's more powerful than we thought. I hit him with everything Terraclaw had it and did nothing. And I have **no** idea where Forestguard thinks he's going!_

_I'm gonna use Treebasher's Final Attack, _he replied, cool and unflappable as ever, though inside he felt like an ant attacking a tank, _and he says the higher we are, the better it'll work._

_Wait a minute and we'll all attack together! He's too tough for any one Guard Beast!_

_Good idea, but let's work another trick into that plan…_Waterguard added. He quickly described his idea to the others. Then they charged from behind the cover of the buildings to attack.

Windshear and Tidalstorm dove at Armag, blasting out another energy barrage and driving him back a few steps if not doing much damage. Terraclaw jumped into the air and came down hard, shaking the ground and knocking him off-balance and sending him stumbling even further backwards, toward the inert body of his first casualty…

_What do they think they're doing? _he wondered, charging up to attack. This would be one none of them survived, he promised himself. But he didn't get the chance. The Guardrangers made the first move, and attacked ferociously. His hands started to glow with power but Tidalstorm flew at him. A phrase appeared in Waterguard's mind, and he shouted it with all the strength he could muster.

**"TITAN WAVE!" **The words seemed to resound even outside of the confines of Tidalstorm's cockpit, even though they didn't. But the power behind them did. A tidal wave, two hundred feet high, materialized behind the charging Tidalstorm. He rode it right into Armag, washing over the warrior and knocking him off his feet, then vanishing into thin air as Tidalstorm swam up into the sky before Armag could hit back.

Windshear was next, shrieking a challenge as she swooped out of the sky. Airguard summoned her will and also shouted out a command that just entered her mind, sensing her need for the **"HAWK WIND TALON!" **An explosive outburst of air and glowing white blades whipped up behind Windshear, and she ascended and let it crash into Armag like a wall of knives. That was what it felt like when it made contact, and he howled in frustration and pain.

Terraclaw unleashed her Crystal Impactor once again, crystal spires stabbing up and out of the earth again. They stabbed him mercilessly, striking sparks against Armag as they dug into him again and again with devastating impact. Before, they had done almost no damage, but with their consecutive attacks Armag was being considerably softened up, and now their attacks had a very noticeable effect indeed. This time, instead of burying Armag in a pile of rocks, Earthguard summoned up one final gigantic tower of crystal to finish off her assault, and it rocketed out of the earth and exploded terrifically as it slammed Armag dead-on in the back and threw him into the air.

And behind him, the light in Hellscar's eyes briefly reappeared.

Armag was staggering by now. Time to finish it. From his perch atop the building, Treebasher hurled himself into the air, into a steep dive that would take him straight into a collision course with Armag. In mid-air the ape curled into a ball, and Forestguard cried out the words he'd been given to activate Treebasher's attack.

**"AURA DRIVE BUSTER!" **An almost blinding green glow and small energy formations like leaves appeared around Treebasher's body in a burst of light. His speed doubled, as if he'd been fired from a cannon. Armag had recovered enough to launch a pair of energy fireballs from his hands at the glowing green projectile barreling through the air toward him, but Treebasher's own energy cancelled them out. They had to stop this menace and save their friend. Forestguard had been given the job of dealing the final blow in their attack plan, closing the circuit, as it were. He had no love of violence, but he wouldn't be stopped now. Treebasher blasted into Armag, releasing the energy surrounding his body in a flash and explosion that blinded people for almost a mile. And it had just the effect Waterguard had been hoping.

Hellscar suddenly roared, and raised himself up as if awakening from sleep, rather than a state near death. The heat and energy from the explosions had breathed new life into the dragon, just as sinking into Tokyo Bay had restored Tidalstorm. Armag was completely surprised, and caught a painful slash of Hellscar's claws across his back before he could get away. Clutching a bleeding shoulder, he ran off.

Waterguard thrust his mind into the link between the Rangers. He no longer felt a void coming from Hellscar's cockpit as he had moments ago, but all the same, he asked, _Ryu? Are you guys okay?_

The response was labored, but it came, and that was all that mattered to him. _Not totally, but I'm amazed we're both still alive. What's happening?_

His answer came when a fireball exploded in the midst of the Guard Beasts. Armag readied another. Another one to deal with. These Guardrangers were crafty, no wonder they'd been stopping him at every turn. But there was no other choice. He had to fight them all, finish this now. Or die trying.

_Fireguard,_ Earthguard sent to him, _are you certain you can fight? Armag did some serious damage to Hellscar._

_We'll hold together. We may not be at full strength, but it's not just me and my dragon pal now. Right, buddy?_

Hellscar roared as if to second what Fireguard had said.

The Guardrangers all felt something sweep over them as Fireguard said that. A realization that yes, they were all here now, all able to fight together. It felt as if they were all one force, one existence for a moment. Them, the Guard Beasts, all one single life force, dedicated to the defense of this planet. That a warrior from another planet was there trying to kill them didn't matter for that one instant.

But then a fireball of his streaked past, narrowly missing them, and the spell was broken. They all scattered, ready to fight again.

_Let's finish this, _Fireguard said threateningly, although inside he was feeling foolish for taking his attention off their enemy. He hoped his teammates couldn't tell. It was just, that sense of unity had felt so welcome…like how they were supposed to be when they fought. And fight they would.

The Guard Beasts all attacked together, surrounding him and raining their various attacks down on him, trying to keep him from calling up his powers again. Blasts of flame, exploding feathers and torrents of water, ground-shaking tremors and hunks of masonry flew toward the Baron in devastating droves.

But Armag laughed, and created a blast that send the already damaged Guard Beasts flying. "Have to do better than that, Guardrangers." He was wearing down, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. Hellscar, Treebasher and Terraclaw were in a sorry state, and that last blast hadn't helped any.

_Time's running out…we have to pool our powers now. There's no other way, _Fireguard said to the others in a voice that made it clear that he was still weak from his injuries, and losing strength fast. For his as well as their sakes, they knew the time had come to end this battle, and they all hurried to gather around Hellscar to prepare their final attack.

Armag fired crackling beams of violent electric blue from his good eye and fingers that tore up the street behind the Guard Beasts as they charged toward their leader, but they were mostly unhurt. Then they gathered around Hellscar, and began to channel their powers into a single focus in front of them where a burning sphere of energy began to form, like the Eternity Drive. Armag saw what they were doing and prepared a counter-blast, then let a massive globe of burning azure energy fly from his hands just as the Guard Beasts fired the elemental sphere back at him.

The two devastatingly powerful attacks met in mid-air. The spheres clashed together in a symphony of ear-splitting noise and a lightshow of prismatic color. The Guardrangers threw all their physical and mental strength into their projectile, to force it to continue its forward motion toward Armag , while the Garganstah Baron did likewise with his own murderous energy. 

Whether either side was making any difference in this bizarre tug of war, none could tell. But the spheres pushed back and forth like a pair of dueling stars, until finally, Armag appeared to lose his concentration for a moment, then the Guardrangers' attack obliterated his and flew forward uninhibited to crash into Armag with a spectacular explosion.

They would never know why Armag had lapsed for that one instant and given them the opening to defeat him once and for all. Maybe he had been more exhausted than he thought, maybe his concentration had slipped for a second worrying about what might happen if he failed to vanquish the Guardrangers here and now. Whatever it was, the result was obvious. He doubled over in pain and the collapsed, clutching his charred chest.

Armag wasn't much longer for this world. But as he lay on the ground, he gave a pained laugh, perplexing the Rangers. What could be so funny about being seconds away from dying, after all?

"So... you think... you've won, do you...?" he croaked, "What fools... I... was the least of my kind. The rest... are on their way, and their power...dwarfs mine more than you could imagine...In defeating me...you've ensured... this planet a much worse future... than if I'd taken over...Savor this little victory, Guardrangers...For it will be the last one you will ever have..." And with a last mocking cackle, Armag's body dissolved into blue waves of light that vanished into the sky.

And there was a long moment after that where the silence was so loud you could literally hear it. The proverbial pin could've dropped.

The Guardrangers were on the ground outside the Guard Beasts a moment later. One by one they released their uniforms and reverted to normal. All except Fireguard. He staggered as he appeared on the ground, frightening dark red blotches discoloring the back of his Guardsuit. His breathing was rough and pained as he slumped into a sitting position against Hellscar's leg. The giant dragon craned his head downward, gently brushing his snout against Fireguard's shoulder, using his own energy to speed Fireguard's healing. Within seconds the pools of blood vanished. The Soldier of the Inferno reached up, tugging his helmet off with his right hand, and rubbed Hellscar's metallic skin with his left, smiling. "Thanks, buddy."

_I COULD DO NO LESS, MY FRIEND. _Hellscar replied warmly in Ryuji's mind. The other Guardbeasts were there as well, in a protective circle of sorts around Ryuji, looking down on him with concern and relief. Ryuji smiled up at them. "You too, guys. Arigato, miina."

As the Guardbeasts responded with nods and gentle rumblings, Ryuji found himself being gripped around the shoulders by Jason, pain shooting through his back again. But for some reason, it didn't bother him. Most likely it was the simple joy of still being alive simply felt too good to ignore.

"Dude, I swear to God," Jason squeezed Ryuji harder, "if you EVER make me worry about you like that again, I'm gonna kick your ass."

"I'm fine, Jase," Ryuji drawled. "You?"

Jason smacked Ryuji's head playfully. "Shut up." They both laughed as the others arrived to join them.

" Hey, boss man," Tochiro knelt down in front of Ryuji, Miaka standing behind him. "Daijoubu?"

"Yeah," Ryuji nodded. "I'm gonna need about twenty-thousand aspirin later, but I'm all right."

"Thank Kami-sama for that," Miaka put in.

"Indeed," Naoko agreed with thinly disguised...was it relief? Ryuji smiled back at her, and even Jason had the decorum not to make a wisecrack at the scene. Ryuji reveled in the warmth surrounding him. His friends and his teammates, the Guard Beasts--the moment was rare and comforting. And most definitely welcome after what they'd just been through.

So, true to form, it didn't last.

"_Rangers," _the mental voice of Beservor issued from the air as a glowing sphere of prismatic light that could only be the remains of the wizard himself, freed from the crystal ball, apparently, shimmered to life above them. "_Are you all right?"_

The Rangers didn't have a chance to respond, or ask why Beservor had come to check up on them in person. As Ryuji was about to answer him, a voice with the force of a supernova crashed through his mind. 

**YOU!!!**

"UUHHHHHHH!" Such was the force of Hellscar's psychic shout that Ryuji slipped from Jason's grasp and slammed into the ground. What had brought that on?

"Hey! What's the deal?" Jason jerked his head upward toward Hellscar...

...and immediately wished he hadn't. The giant dragon was seething with an anger like nothing he'd ever seen. And he wasn't the only one. The other Guard Beasts were trembling with fury, bearing teeth and claws, raw, unrestrained rage rolling off of them in waves.

Ryuji righted himself as Jason and Miaka helped him stand. "Hellscar? Nanda?"

**HE KNOWS...**Hellscar snarled, his eyes burning red. The Rangers turned to face the ethereal orb that was Beservor, glowing in front of them.

"Bes..." Ryuji said lowly. "What's going on? What's Hellscar talking about?"

A long, drawn out sigh issued forth._ "You left me no choice, Hellscar. Your rampage had to be stopped. Your actions that day imperiled the entire planet. _Beservor paused as Hellscar growled again. _You had much to answer for then._

**AND YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF BLAMELESS, WIZARD? **Hellscar countered. **DID YOU NEVER GIVE ANY THOUGHT AS TO WHY WE ACTED IN SUCH A FASHION? OR DID YOU SIMPLY ASSUME WE SENT GARGAN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN ON SOME CHILDISH WHIM?**

Beservor was silent for a moment. Then, "_I...sensed grief in you, yes. But I never understood the reason behind it."_

**NO, OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T**. Terraclaw's telepathic murmur spoke now. **YOU SAW US AS A THREAT AND YOU LOCKED US AWAY IN DARKNESS WITH NO EXPLANATION, NO CHANCE TO EXPLAIN…**

YOU WEREN'T THERE, BESERVOR...Tidalstorm's youthful psychic voice was edged with pain. **YOU DIDN'T SEE WHAT WE SAW.**

**WE RESPONDED TO THE RANGER'S SUMMONS THE DAY THE GARGANSTAH WERE DRIVEN FROM EARTH.** Treebasher's deep mental echo explained next. **BUT WE ARRIVED TOO LATE TO SAVE THEM--TO SAVE YOU... WE COULD ONLY WATCH AS YOU WERE DESTROYED BEFORE OUR VERY EYES.**

AND IN THAT MOMENT...OUR GRIEF CONSUMED US, Windshear sounded as if she were close to tears, if such a thing was even possible. **AND WE...DESTROYED GARGAN. AND ITS PEOPLE WITH IT. MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN...WE SPARED NO ONE. IN OUR MINDS, ALL WERE GUILTY. THEY WERE NO LONGER THERE TO GUIDE US, SO WE DID NOT KNOW OF ANY RESTRAINT.**

"Geez..." Jason whispered. Even without his powers active, he could feel his Guard Beast's pain, the guilt over what they had done. He gently let go of Ryuji and moved toward Tidalstorm, rubbing his hands over the great killer whale's colossal nose. The others moved toward their respective Beasts, feeling their comrades' tangible remorse. Beservor simply observed in silence. He had expected anger from the Guard Beasts, yes. But this revelation had stunned even him. He had never expected the Guard Beasts to react in such a manner, to grieve so deeply and completely that they would destroy an entire continent to exact vengeance. Yes, they had been created to be more than simple avatars to the elements, but this depth of loyalty was simply astounding.

Ryuji looked over at the ball of scintillating light that was his advisor. "Bes.."

_"No, Fireguard," _the wizard countered._ "I know what you are about to say. Mistakes have been made on both sides here. But it seems the greatest mistake was mine. The Guard Beasts are correct. I acted without considering the underlying factors of why they destroyed Gargan. True, they took innocent lives that day, but it was grief and the loss of your guiding minds that drove their actions, not malice. I understand that now. I cannot undo the past--none of us can. We can only learn from our mistakes and go on. But I will say this--for your pain and all that accompanied it...Hellscar, Tidalstorm, Treebasher, Terraclaw, and Windshear...for all of that and more...I am truly sorry. We must work to make sure this never happens again…"_

The Rangers regarded their companion Beasts, a tremor of unease moving through each of them involuntarily. Hellscar's eyes blazed red again for an instant, then the harsh glow left them as he finally spoke.

**COLD COMFORT, WIZARD...**Hellscar said flatly. But then something in the dragon's telepathic tone changed, **BUT...IT IS BETTER THAN NONE AT ALL.**

The Guardrangers simply stood in contemplative silence of their giant allies. With their reunion with the Guard Beasts, their full power had been restored. But it came with the realization of just how much they depended on the Guardrangers, to complete them, to make them more than just giant beasts. If they were awakened again and the connection was severed, another land might sink beneath the ocean.

It was this, combined with Armag's dying words, that chilled the spirit of victory the Guardrangers would have felt otherwise as they and the Guard Beasts departed the scene of battle to recover.

"Man, was this this a day for drama or what?" Jason asked his friend as they and others rested from their recent ordeals a the Golden Bushel. The place was empty except for them, and almost completely silent except for Jason. He was trying to get them to feel some kind of pride at their achievement. But none of them were going along with it. All were worried about what Armag had said. He'd nearly beaten them, even with all the Guard Beasts. What were they supposed to do if invaders even stronger than him really were on their way? Even Tochiro, who the others had thought could weather anything with a smiling face. Only Miaka agreed with what he was trying to say.

"Come on, guys, don't get like this. We beat Armag, didn't we? That must count for something."

"It does, Jase. He was a tough customer and I think it proved we're a heck of a team to be the ones that took him down," Ryuji said, "But you heard what he said too. And I'm not sure how we're supposed to get anymore power to be ready if he was telling the truth."

"We could try digging up that fortress he was after, but I doubt we'd be able to do anything with it," Naoko chimed in, "Garganstah can create life, after all. We probably couldn't begin to figure out their secrets."

Tochiro said nothing. He felt like things were rapidly getting out of hand, more than he could just rationalize away by simplifying what drove him to do what needed to be done. Now that the buzz of being reunited with his Guard Beast and saving his friend's life had come and gone, he was starting to see what they were really getting into.

Armag had been powerful. A greater foe Tochiro had never imagined. They had only won through some kind of fluke, the nature of which he would probably never know. If he had been only the tip of the iceberg, as he claimed, Tochiro couldn't help but feel more than a little in over his head. Was he really ready?

"Cheer up, miina," Miaka said, succeeding in breaking the miasma of gloom, "Jason's right. We beat a tough enemy, and we'll find a way to beat any others. That's what sentai do, learn to adapt to new problems. And the last time I looked that's what we've been doing too. We'll come up with something."

And somehow, eased everyone's mind a little. If anyone would know that kind of thing, after all, it was Miaka. History did seem to be on their side, as well. The forces of super sentai had always triumphed in the end.

More than any of that, though, the team was beginning to realize how worn out they really were from all fighting they had done that day. And turning themselves into exhausted, nervous wrecks over Armag's threat certainly wouldn't help. If somebody even tougher than Armag _did_ come their way looking for trouble, they'd think of something--_after_ they had a chance to recover from all their aches and bruises.

They weren't sure how, but all were aware of the fatigue of the others, the desire they all suddenly felt for real rest and recovery. Could the bond between them be getting stronger, somehow? Perhaps…Though they didn't really know it yet, many changes were in store for the Guardrangers.

"Well, I'd better go. I've got an interview in the morning," Jason said, rising and walking toward the door, "It was an interesting day, though."

"Putting it mildly," Naoko added.

Ryuji felt like he had two, maybe three minutes before he collapsed from the day's ordeals, but managed to admonish his teammates, "Guys, go and rest up. We've all earned a break today. But try to be ready in case Armag meant what he said, okay?"

"Are you going to be all right, Ryuji? Do you need a ride home or something?" was the reply, and Jason was surprised to hear that it had come from Naoko rather than him.

"I'll be all right. I have a futon in the office for when I have to stay really late. I don't feel like moving around much more today anyway."

"All right, but you be careful. You look even deader than the rest of us."

Ryuji arched an eyebrow in curiosity as she said that, but Naoko was already out the door. He'd have to ask her what she meant, next time. The other Rangers said their goodbyes as well and went their separate ways. But for one final moment before they parted until the next time duty called them together, they could all feel the power they commanded as a group, abetted by the power the Guard Beasts, happy to be reunited with them once again, and the knowledge that, as long as they remained true to their duty and believed in their powers, they could overcome anything. The Guardrangers knew about their allies' flaw now, and would never let it happen again. Truly, they were the able protectors of the planet Earth.

And out on the edge of the solar system, a gigantic craft, dark as the expanse of space around it, appeared. It was gigantic, almost the size of a city. It was long and black, with protruding towers and the lights of rooms inside of it dotting its length. Slowly, surely, but inexorably it began to approach Earth.

They had been gone a long, long time. The humans had forgotten about them. But they would not be deterred by anything. They had waited too long and grown too strong to be stopped now. After thousands of years of wandering the stars, Garganstah was finally coming home…

__

Not the end. Next time the Guardrangers find out Armag wasn't bluffing…and learn what must be done to level the playing field against this awesome new force.


	8. Episode 8:Unwelcome Visitors

****

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 8:Unwelcome Visitors

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

A huge, dark craft loomed over an innocently unaware planet Earth. It went completely undetected as it descended through the atmosphere. Aboard it, one of many passengers, stood a powerfully-built man in a black cloak and red armor. He gazed fondly out of a large circular window, at the planet his people had left so many thousands of years ago to roam the stars. Billions of life forms teemed beneath his craft, and none had any inkling of what was about to happen.

Garganstah was coming home.

"Emperor Brannoch?" a messenger said, entering the dark chamber.

"Yes?" replied the man in red armor in a voice that reflected awesome power, not taking his eyes off the approaching planet.

"The Death Gar is still where it was. Apparently Armag failed."

"Hardly a surprise. Armag was never a threat. The very idea that one petty sycophant could stand against Garganstah," Brannoch replied. "Even if by some uncanny circumstance he's still alive, I'll have him taken care of soon enough."

"Still alive, sir?" the messenger said, surprised, for the conquests of the warriors of Garganstah were many, "Is there anything on that planet that could have defeated him?"

Brannoch sighed internally. The ignorance of youth. "You're young," the emperor said, "but haven't you heard the stories of the ones who drove us off this planet in the first place?"

"Yes, sire, of course..." the messenger stumbled out. "But I thought--"

"--that they were just stories, of course. "

"Is the Death Gar your only news?"

"No, sir," the messenger said quickly, "The Empress would like you to be present in the control center with the others when we penetrate the atmosphere."

Brannoch drew his cloak tighter around himself. Devora, the one bright spot in the constant chaos that was the life of the Emperor of Garganstah. He wouldn't have left her side during their approach to Earth if he hadn't wanted to be alone with his thoughts about the planet of his people's birth for a while before the demands on him whenever they took a planet set in. He turned and, without another word, strode out of the room and down the hallway to share the moment of his empire's return to Earth.

Things were shaping up to be the start of a beautiful day in the city of Tokyo. Teenagers joked and exchanged the latest rumors on their ways to school. Businessmen pleasantly shouted into their cell phones on the way to work. There was an almost soothing rhythm to the stops and starts of the inner-city traffic. Everyone seemed at ease this morning. Except perhaps the people who had the most reason to feel relaxed.

As Ryuji walked among his chefs on the day of the month he'd appointed for inspection, his mind kept drifting away. To Armag's threat that soon enemies even more powerful than him would be arriving on Earth. His mind was full of questions. When would they arrive? How much stronger were they? What would the Guardrangers have to do to stand a chance against them? His mind was yanked back as he heard a yelp of surprise from bumping into one of the chefs.

"Boss? Everything all right?"

"Uh, yeah. I just slipped. Sorry, guys." Ryuji said hastily, making his way along trying to look as nonchalant as he could.

This might not have been bothering his teammates as much, but he was the leader of the Guardrangers. It was his job to make sure the team was ready for whatever came their way. And how could they be ready for even stronger enemies when they'd had trouble with Armag and his gang?

Satisfied that his employees were still their diligent and skilled selves, he left the kitchen and walked into the dining area of the Gulden Bushel. Here, he relaxed. All the smiling people gulping down food that had been prepared from his recipes and his place warmed his heart a little. He pulled up a chair at the counter and poured himself a glass of water.

Since accepting that he was needed as Fireguard, Ryuji hadn't been paying much attention to his business. In fact he'd almost forgotten about the concerns of his old life. Maybe he needed to just forget about Guardranger business for now, get back into his old groove and try to clear his head of all the things he'd been worrying about.

"What's up, man?" said a familiar voice as a familiar figure plopped down in the chair next to him.

"Jase?" Ryuji sounded genuinely surprised. "What're you doing here? I thought you told me you had interviews all day today."

"Yeah, I've got one in an hour, but I thought I'd drop in and see how you were doing. You've been pushing yourself awfully hard lately, Ryu."

"Yeah, I guess I have. But with all the tough fights we've had lately, can you blame me? Besides, just now I was thinking about how maybe I should take it easy for a while."

"That's cool," Jason said, thumping Ryuji's shoulder in a comradely manner. "Don't want to burn yourself out. We do still have lives outside of being heroes, you know."

"Yeah, I just remembered that," Ryuji replied, taking a swig of his purified water, ice cubes clattering in the glass.

"Well don't forget it, okay? I know we had that talk when Armag and his monster were about to kill us, but really, man, I don't want you to be acting like Fireguard all the time. He ain't who I'm friends with."

"Now Guardranger business is making_ you _act all serious," Ryuji smirked.

Jason laughed and rubbed Ryuji's hair, "Now_ that's _what I'm talking about. Where you been, Ryu?"

Ryuji chuckled at Jason's head-rub. "Worrying about what we'll do when those worse-than-him enemies Armag promised were coming soon show up."

"I've worried about that a little too, we all have. But take it easy, man. We survived that, we'll find some way to cope if we really do have to fight somebody even tougher than Armag," Jason said as reassuringly as he could, "Like I said, being a Guardranger is fine, but it shouldn't cost you your sense of humor. Just relax, dude, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"I guess you're right, Jase. We've been through a lot lately. I'm not going to be much good if I burn myself out before anything important happens." He took another sip of water.

"Yeah. I'd say we've earned a little recovery time."

"Yeah. But will we get any?" He finished off the water, putting the glass down on the counter with a decisive thump.

Devora sat in her steel throne tapping long-nailed fingers against the arm. She sighed. They were finally coming home, and Brannoch wasn't here. How could he miss this?

Devora sighed. She was an attractive older Garganstah woman, with dark purple hair to contrast her skin and set off the bright reds of her fingernails and the jewels she was constantly adorned with. Devora's very presence, like her husband's, reflected an awesome power deep within just waiting to be unleashed. She sighed again, more of an edge of annoyance this time, and all the courtiers in the imperial deck involuntarily flinched, even though their Empress was about the least malicious person any of them knew. She was just irritated that in this, the moment of their long-awaited return to planet Earth, he was gone.

"Miranna, where is your father?" she asked of a young, simply gorgeous Garganstah girl. With a rain of dark hair spilling down her back, and the same unearthly white eyes and blue skin of that all Garganstahs possessed, Miranna looked much like her mother had when she was just entering her period of true womanhood, but whereas Devora's presence had always carried strength and unyielding will, Miranna's comportment was of gentleness and compassion. Devora hoped with all her heart that Miranna had a less trying reign than she.

"I don't know, Mother," Miranna replied, sounding somewhat depressed, "I don't know why he wouldn't be here, either. He hasn't talked about anything but 'coming home to Earth' lately."

"Which is exactly why I wanted some time alone with my thoughts before we arrived," Brannoch said, walking into the room. Immediately all the courtiers in the gathering chamber fell to one knee. Devora rose and embraced him

"I was worried you'd miss this."

"Never, beloved. Our wandering days are over. Soon Earth will be ours again." He turned, and found himself looking at Miranna.

"Does that mean no more fighting, Father?"

Sweet Miranna. The apple of her parents' eyes. Brannoch would do anything to please her. "Yes, Miranna. Once we have established Garganstah as the greatest power in this world, I promise there will be no more fighting."

"That's not what I mean and you know it," Miranna said miserably. "Haven't we done enough? All the suffering and pain we've inflicted on so many worlds...is taking Earth back by force that important to you?"

"I know, Miranna, and I am sorry. It's true we've subjugated many a world in our time, but it is all for the greater good. Most of them were entrenched in war when took control. Our rule brought stability and peace to those planets, daughter. And the people of those worlds thrived under our leadership. I understand your desires of peace, Miranna. Indeed, I share them as well. But we must be secure a permanent home on Earth again before we can cease all fighting. That is my duty to my family and my subjects," Brannoch replied. The courtiers started to applaud, but Brannoch silenced them with a glance.

Brannoch waved his hand at the far wall of the stately room, energy dancing along his fingertips. An image suddenly appeared on what had been a bare surface moments before, showing the Earth rapidly coming up to meet them. Brannoch stepped up to make a speech.

"For too long we have wandered the stars, acquiring power and additional numbers, but it has all been in preparation for this day. The day Garganstah returns home!" The courtiers began to cheer and clap. "I have waited for this day for many, many years, but I never doubted that it would come. Soon, Earth will be ours once again. This time, forever!" The sound of the courtiers' cheers and applause doubled. "Nothing can stop us now. Our power is insurmountable. Our warriors will overcome anything this planet sends against us. Now, my people... let us toast not to the success of an invasion, but of a reclamation. Our reclamation of our home planet." The courtiers cheered even louder, clinking goblets containing the wine of a hundred different worlds.

Brannoch did not join the revelry, he was watching the image he had conjured on the wall. A planet absolutely abounding with life, just waiting for them to retake it. And they would. The ship zeroed in on the island nation known as Japan. It was closest to where their home had once been, so why not start there?

Miranna got up and left the room, but Brannoch did not try to stop her. He knew she didn't approve of his policy, but soon enough there would be no more need for any violence. That he promised himself. But first, the business at hand.

"My Barons, come forth," Brannoch called into the crowd. Three people, two men and a woman, emerged from the crowd. Brannoch addressed the one in the center, a man with bulging muscles, a head of stark white hair and plentiful medallions on his court garments for his many victories in battle. "Sharaki, choose one of your men to send down and scout the planet to see what kind of resistance they have to offer. Things look to have changed a bit since we left," Brannoch said, observing the sprawling cities and other developments that hadn't been there four thousand years ago.

"Yes, sir. I shall await your orders to move out," Sharaki replied in a voice as strong as his appearance.

"Don't pick any old weakling, though. I do not plan to make the mistake of underestimating the capabilities of these mortals," Brannoch added.

"With respect, sir, none of my men are weaklings," Sharaki said.

"Of course not. Which is why I expect you to maintain your record of success."

"Yes, sir," Sharaki said, leaving to prepare.

Miranna walked in silence down the reflective black metal corridors of the Lemrios, leaving the cheers and the fanfare far behind. The entire affair sickened her--the way her people were reveling in the prospect of subjugating the Earth and its people. She had seen this far too often in her lifetime. There was truth in her father's words--there _had_ been a great deal of unrest on the worlds that were now subservient to the Garganstah Empire before they had been conquered, but the resistance they offered, meager as it was compared to the Empire's phenomenal power, had cost far too many lives, and the suffering that followed was more than she could bear to watch at times.

Miranna came to a stop at the end of the hallway. Roughly ten feet ahead of her was a transparent layer of atmospheric shielding, and beyond that shielding, the starscape of space itself. The Earth loomed ahead of her in all its brilliant blue splendor, and Miranna found herself aching for the planet and its people even more than she had before. She approached the shield wall, her fingers tracing over it, as if she were caressing the planet's face herself and shook her head.

"Why?" she sighed. "Why does it have to be this way?"

"What other way should it be, sister dear?" The mocking voice behind her replied, tinted with laughter.

Miranna swung around, her shock at being heard quickly dissolving into mild anger at the sight of the person who'd spoken. Leaning against the right wall behind her was Treygan, her older brother and Brannoch and Devora's eldest child. He stood six feet tall in height and clad in blue and purple body armor, the same dark hair and white eyes as Miranna, but the similarities ended there. Where Miranna was compassionate and warm, Treygan was calculating and devious, eager to spill blood and bathe in chaos. he strode casually across the corridor toward his sister, his dark blue metal boots sounding against the floor.

"You're too soft-hearted, Miranna," he said coolly. "These mortal dogs aren't worth the bother of actually caring about. They're just like the rest of the weaklings we've crushed--mindless sheep and nothing else."

"Oh? Are you forgetting those 'mindless sheep' nearly destroyed our Empire four millennia ago?" Miranna regarded him with disgust. "You're as blood-thirsty as those fools in the throne room, aching to make war on a planet filled with innocent people."

Treygan snorted. "War and innocence have no connection to each other, Miranna. There are the conquerors and the conquered. We have the power, so it's only fitting that the weak should be subservient to us. Father would agree with me about that."

"If you believe that, you're a bigger fool than I ever thought you could be, Treygan. Father's as sickened with you and your bloodlust as I am. He isn't about to let you bathe in bloodlust and carnage where Earth is concerned."

Treygan laughed as he approached, closing the gap between them. "Father," he said, with so much self-assurance it made Miranna squirm inside, "will do anything to make the Earth ours again, sister. _Anything. _And it's our duty as his heirs to make certain that glorious moment comes to pass. You can rail against the inevitable all you wish, but it won't make any difference in the end. Earth's as good as ours."

Miranna narrowed her eyes, feeling her anger mount, but decided the effort wasn't worth the bother. She turned on her heel and walked away down the length of the corridor, but stopped short at the end, the heavy metal doors sliding open as she approached. Without turning around, she said, "One thing you should remember, brother…Father doesn't care for your policies, and don't trick yourself into thinking otherwise. You make war for its own sake, he makes war to better our lives."

Treygan frowned and was about to say something nasty, something to put his pacifistic sister in her place, but Miranna was already striding down the hall away from him.

Miaka panted for breath. Twenty laps around the schoolyard wasn't her idea of a good time. But if it was rough on her, it was even worse on Noremi, who nearly collapsed beside her.

"Hey Noremi, you still alive?" Miaka said, an exhausted smile on her sweaty face.

"Give me a second to check," Noremi gasped. Miaka gave a breathless laugh.

"Miaka, did you hear about that sentai again? I heard a bunch of metal animals came and fought off a giant monster a couple days ago," Noremi said a moment later after catching her breath.

"Yeah, that sounds like proof of a new sentai being around," Miaka replied innocently. Of course, she knew all about the battle Noremi was talking about. She had been there, helping to win that battle against the warrior Armag. Like Ryuji, she had been worrying a little about what Armag had said with his dying breath, that there would be those to follow after him, stronger even than he.

Had he been lying? Why would he? And there had been something…wrong about their fights with him anyway. Garganstah was supposed to be an entire empire. Why had they fought so few opponents to overcome its ruler?

But somehow, the Guardrangers would overcome even if bigger challenges lay ahead. Miaka believed it. She had to. How else could she face another day with that threat hanging over her head? And how unheroic would it be to panic at this?

"Miaka?" Noremi said, tugging at her shoulder, "Wake up. Coach is whistling for us."

"Nani? Oh, right, I'm coming." The two girls jogged over to where the rest of their class was lining up. As they did, Noremi turned to her friend, once more feeling like Miaka was keeping something from her.

"What were you thinking about back there?" Noremi asked as gently as she could.

"Just…something I may have to worry about after school," Miaka replied, but Noremi looked like she didn't quite believe that was all there was to it. They joined their classmates in line, and as they did, Noremi leaned over.

"Miaka, you can tell me about anything. You know that, I hope."

"…Not about this, Noremi," Miaka said, and Noremi turned away with a pained look, more so than before, because this was the second time Noremi had asked about that one thing Miaka couldn't tell anyone. It killed Miaka to do this. Noremi had been one of her best friends for years. But even she couldn't be allowed to know about Miaka's involvement with the Guardrangers. Especially if deadlier threats were yet to come. Maybe sometime, she'd think of a way to explain her situation without exposing her friends to the danger of being a superhero's confidant.

For now, though, Miaka would have to suffer knowing she couldn't tell even her closest friends about the biggest honor she would ever receive.

Sharaki strode proudly through the halls to Brannoch himself, dressed in his custom suit of black armor and carrying his famous two-handed sword. All the people who saw him stopped what they were and started to whisper among themselves. Sharaki had been chosen to lead the first attack on this planet, they said to one another. With his strength and skill, surely he'd bring even more honor to the name of Garganstah.

Beside him was a slight humanoid, wearing copper-colored body armor that was studded with reflective black stones. His head was completely bald, and his eyes were black with tiny yellow pupils. He was one of Sharaki's elite warriors, the champion of a world Garganstah had conquered and allowed to serve under Sharaki for his great skill. He carried no weapons, but Sharaki knew that this warrior did not need any.

Celebrating their return with his courtiers, Brannoch spotted Sharaki and his warrior approaching the room and excused himself. Time to get things underway. Brannoch wanted his planet back.

"We are ready to move out, sire," Sharaki said as Brannoch stepped into the hall with them.

"I take it your man here has been given the Animatium treatment?" Brannoch asked.

"Yes, sire."

Brannoch nodded. Unlike his other Barons, whose warriors were created from Animatium, that special metal they discovered that could bring to life any kind of soldier they might need, Sharaki's were already alive. They were just infused with Animatium before being sent into action to heighten their powers. It wasn't comfortable, but none of them had complained about their boosted abilities once they were back on the battlefield.

"Good. Just remember, this won't be a full-scale attack, I just want you and your man here to go down, cause some trouble and see what kinds of armaments the humans are capable of bringing against us," Brannoch said, "And if you happen to run into Armag, bring me back his head."

"With pleasure," Rodim said in a frighteningly raspy voice, eager to go into battle.

"All right, off with you then. But Sharaki," Brannoch said as they turned to leave, "don't let your guard down. Armag obviously failed, and something down there must have stopped him."

"We're ready for anything, sire, even them," Sharaki replied.

"Well then, go down there and find out what we're up against. But if you should run into them, let me know at once. I want to see this," Brannoch said, sending Sharaki and Rodim on their way. The two disappeared in a flash of light

Moments later, captain and soldier appeared in a plaza in the middle of Tokyo. Passers by turned and stared in wonderment at the two strange men who had appeared out of nowhere, but Sharaki swiped his enormous sword through the air. Spheres of radiant red fire flew from the blade and into the ground around the people, who screamed and began to flee in terror amidst a flurry of explosions. One unfortunate man tumbled to the ground, his skin aflame.

Sharaki grimaced. He'd only meant to scare them off. He swung his sword again, a wave of frigid air sweeping over the stricken man and extinguishing the fire.

"What did you do that for?" Rodim asked, having come here fully expecting to spill as much blood as possible.

"Never mind," Sharaki said bluntly, "Go out and start causing some trouble. I'll be right behind you. Just remember we're not here to hunt civilians."

"We're not?" Rodim said, surprised. Sharaki smacked him on the head with the flat of his sword.

"No, we're here to gather information on what kind of resistance this planet can bring against us. You forgot already? Now get going!" Rodim ran off.

Sharaki knelt down to attend to his accidental victim. Served him right for using such a show of force in a crowded area, he guessed. He pulled out a small tube with a swirling blue mist inside. He'd brought it just in case there was something around that could hurt him on a simple scouting mission, but Sharaki uncorked it over the wounded man. The mist, as if sensing where it was needed, seeped into his burns. Moments later rejuvenated flesh appeared over them, and the man began to groan as he regained consciousness.

"How the innocents suffer," Sharaki sighed to himself as he hefted his sword onto his shoulder and jogged off to catch up with Rodim.

Naoko heaped a pile of seismic readouts on her desk. She was finally getting a chance to catch up at work now that Armag was gone. The peace wasn't going to last, though, and she really should've known.

Naoko had been wondering about several things lately. Like why she'd been so concerned about Ryuji when he'd blocked a shot meant for her, then gone out to fight a giant monster despite his injuries. Did she really like him that much better without the whining? She hardly even knew him, for crying out loud. Never saw him besides when they met on Guardranger business. Why was she constantly worrying over a man she knew as little more than her leader? Why had she been so angry when he came to save them, aggravating injuries he'd sustained in the process? Why…Time to wonder about that later, though. For now, she had work in her real life to do.

She was just settling in to examine the papers in front of her and enjoy how quiet things were when she felt the brush against her mind of one of her comrades making mental contact. It was Beservor, and he sounded even more urgent than usual.

__

Rangers! Some kind of monster is blasting his way through downtown Tokyo! You are needed at once!

Naoko stood up and headed for the front door as quickly as she could without looking suspicious. Hopefully there wouldn't be too many questions about where she'd gone and why she didn't have anything to report about those readouts when she made it back. Nobody stopped Naoko or asked where she thought she was going in the middle of the workday, but as she entered the parking lot on her way to the nearest wind tunnel, she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A guy who looked like Takeo, getting out of his car.

She turned her head slightly, curiously, and indeed that was Takeo climbing out of his car. Obviously coming to see her at work again. He opened his mouth to call out, but Naoko was already taking off down the street. She couldn't talk to him now, there was no time. And certainly no way of telling him that she had to go take care of a monster in town.

As she dashed, Naoko wondered about Takeo for a minute. Why did he keep pursuing her? And was there still a place for him in her life? Especially if…no, that couldn't be it. And anyway, there was no time. There was a monster out there waiting to be thrashed by the Guardrangers.

Skyscrapers exploded. Cars skidded out of control. People ran as fast as they could from the chaos. And Rodim reveled in it all. This was why he had agreed to join Garganstah instead of resisting to the last. His purpose was to conquer and destroy those weaker than himself. Finally, he was getting a chance to do just that.

Sirens filled the air as the police arrived. But as they surveyed the devastation Rodim could easily tell they didn't fancy taking on a being who had effortlessly laid waste to an entire city block. With shaking hands they fired their guns anyway, but Rodim laughed as the puny projectiles bounced harmlessly off his body. Was this the best this planet could do? They'd have it conquered in a matter of days if so. Rodim thrust out his hands and a wave of black energy flowed from his fingertips, engulfing the unfortunate police officers. They cried out, but it was no use. Like a rising tide the darkness swallowed them up, and when it cleared a moment later, there was no trace of them.

Rodim laughed aloud. This was too easy! Imagine how much more destruction he'd be capable of if this was the strongest resistance these humans could offer up. He caught sight of Sharaki jogging over to him.

"Anything to report?" the Baron asked.

"Yes, I just overcame a couple of armed men. They were no threat at all."

"Then give us a try, buddy!" a voice rang out just before a figure in blue seemed to appear out of nowhere and bowled Rodim with his trident.

"Who dares?!" Rodim bellowed, though the answer to his question stood before him. Five people, clad from head to foot in bright colors. The Guardrangers had come.

One at a time they spoke, and Sharaki took note of each one:

The first in red: "Soldier of the Inferno! FIREGUARD!"

The second in blue: "Soldier of the Ocean! WATERGUARD!"

The third in yellow: "Soldier of Stone! EARTHGUARD!"

The fourth in green: "Soldier of Wood!" FORESTGUARD!"

And finally the fifth in white: "Soldier of the Wind! AIRGUARD!"

"Elemental Soldiers of the Earth! Eternal Sentai!" Fireguard broke off as the group swerved into fighting stances and shouted in unison, "GUARDRANGER!"

Sharaki unlimbered his sword from his shoulder. They matched Brannoch's description perfectly. Helmets with the faces of beasts, a triangular symbol on the chest for the aspect of nature that was the foundation of their power, and wearing the colors of those aspects of nature. Sharaki called out a single word in response to seeing them.

"Silicons!"

At once a group of the metallic warriors appeared in a wave of liquid metal, ready for a fight. The Guardrangers went into their stances, not happy to see that Armag had been telling the truth about others, but determined to win now as they had then.

Rodim launched himself at the Rangers, not waiting for a command from Sharaki. The Silicons were right behind him, and within moments the sounds of close-quarters fighting rang up and down the streets.

Sharaki stepped back and withdrew a small blue gem from his pocket. He rubbed a particular facet and Brannoch's face appeared with the gem's azure depths. "Sire," he said to the gem, "I think you'll want to see this."

Brannoch stepped up to the platform where he had addressed his court before, and clapped his powerful hands a few times to gain their attention again. "My people," he began, "I have just sent an expedition to gauge how much trouble we can expect from the humans, and they have reported something very interesting indeed." Brannoch waved a hand at the far wall of the room, like before, and an image of the Guardrangers locked in battle with Rodim and his Silicons appeared.

"Behold!" Brannoch said dramatically, "Our ancient enemies, the ones who drove us from this planet millennia ago. They've come forth to fight us again, but this time, I promise you, the outcome will be different!" Cheers went up as he proclaimed this, and he settled in next to Devora to watch. She gripped his hand affectionately, knowing how long he had waited to take another shot at the Guardrangers. Devora looked at the plate of red metal covering half his face, put there to cover reminders of his last run-in with them…

"Is victory truly ours this time, beloved?" she asked quietly.

"I have no doubt, my dear. Our power has come far while we were away. They'll soon see for themselves."

Brannoch's words were true. As the Guardrangers fought back and forth, they couldn't help but notice how much more resilient these Silicons were than the ones they'd fought before. Waterguard dug into one with his Eternablade, dealing a blow that would've smashed one of the Silicons he was used to pieces, but the soldier merely yanked the sword out of its side and floored the hero with an uppercut.

Forestguard attacked another, shouting, "**AURA OAK BUSTER**!" A blizzard of energy leaves barreled out of his hands, colliding with a trio of Silicons closing in on him with lethal intent, but as the leaves struck and exploded, the Silicons ignored the small bits blown off their bodies. They hurled chains that smashed into Forestguard in a blinding wave of sparks.

Airguard fought a pair of Silicons, but as they threw punches at her she danced out of the way. They turned to renew the attack, more quickly than she was used to from the old Silicons, but she was ready. Her Eternablade was in her hand, and she channeled her elemental power into the sword. As the Silicons lunged at her, she swung at the nearer one, lopping its head off. The other was almost upon her, but she jabbed her Eternablade right through its chest. The Silicon spewed a few sparks, then fell apart. She laughed proudly. They hadn't even touched her.

Finally, Fireguard and Earthguard battled Rodim himself. Earthguard swung her Grizzly Claws at him, but Rodim held out his hand and a shield of dark energy materialized over it and Earthguard's claws smashed uselessly into it. Without warning the shield turned into a battering ram and knocked her down the street.

"You Guardrangers aren't living up to your reputation," Rodim laughed, "You're supposed to be the bane of Garganstah, but you're not even giving us a hard time!"

"I'll show you a hard time, pal!" Fireguard retorted, Dragon Steel in hand. He wouldn't let this monster win. He slashed with all his might at Rodim, who tried to block with another dark shield. But Fireguard knew he was fighting for everyone on Earth, and his determination poured into his strength. Blade and shield met, and Fireguard and Rodim pushed back and forth, but Fireguard pushed harder. The shield shattered and the Dragon Steel struck sparks against Rodim's chest plate.

Rodim was so shocked that for a moment he forgot to fight back. This human's powers had overcome his! He jumped back, narrowly avoiding another slash, and hurled a spear of dark power at Fireguard. The hero launched himself over it with a mighty leap, then knocked Rodim down with a great sweeping slash from his sword.

And Sharaki sat observing the battle on a chunk of concrete. This was most interesting. It amazed him that these warriors who fought so poorly could have chased his people off the planet thousands of years ago. They were being defeated by mere Silicons. The one in red, though…he was strong, holding his own against one of Sharaki's prize warriors. The female in white, also quite formidable. But with only two fighters of such caliber, how could they possibly have driven off Garganstah? The empire hadn't always been as powerful as it was now, but still, this made no sense.

While Fireguard fought free against Rodim, Airguard finished off the Silicons that were after her and turned to her teammates. They were putting up a fight, but didn't seem to do any damage to the Silicons they fought. What was wrong? The new enemies couldn't be that much tougher, she and Fireguard were having no problems with them. Punches and kicks struck with no impact, blades skidded uselessly off of metal hides. Even a shock from Waterguard's battlerod in trident mode only stopped a Silicon he was attacking for a second.

Time for something new. Airguard gathered her strength, and launched a new attack she'd been devising for when those stronger foes showed their faces. "HAWK--DIRGE!" she sang, her words vessels of hypersonic power that flared from her being in a shockwave of force and toward the Silicons, striking and smashing them all to pieces. Airguard darted over to see to her aching comrades.

Fireguard and Rodim still fought, Rodim managing to get in a few blows of his own and knock Fireguard down. Both were panting for breath, but Rodim was grinning. Now that he finally had a moment to spare, he could show this Ranger his real power. His yellow pupils began to burn brightly, but his body began to darken. Become more thin and insubstantial, taller, until he had transformed into a menacing shadow, only his bright yellow pupils remaining.

"Your turn to get hurt now, Guardranger," Rodim said, his voice distant and evil. He towered over Fireguard now, and without warning swung a massive hand, fingers tipped with a gleaming black metal, at Fireguard's head. Fireguard raised his sword and blocked it just in time, an awful CLANG ringing up and down the street. Rodim swung his other clawed hand, digging into Fireguard's flank. His side exploded with pain, but Fireguard refused to make a sound. He stabbed his sword deep into Rodim's body, but the evil warrior was not harmed. How can one hurt a shadow, after all?

Rodim lashed out with his other hand, knocking Fireguard into the air, to land at his teammates' feet. Sharaki got up and walked to his shadowy follower's side. Rodim felt his strength draining, and reverted to normal. This fight wasn't over yet.

Waterguard clutched his shoulder in agony. He hadn't even been able to fight a couple of Silicons. Were they really that strong now?

"I don't believe it. These guys are ten times as strong as Armag's flunkies. At least," he said in disbelief.

Rodim laughed at this, long and hard. Sharaki was amused as well, but held his tongue. Such conduct was unbecoming of a proper warrior, after all. Finally, Rodim's laughter subsided, "Do you hear that, sir?"

"Indeed, Rodim. A interesting conundrum to be sure."

"You've fought Armag. What a joke! He actually thought he could come here and take this planet over before Garganstah arrived. He was always a joke!"

Before the others could stop him, Waterguard blurted out, "A joke?! But we just barely beat--"

"They just barely beat Armag!" Rodim crowed, "No wonder they're so weak!"

"My henchman speaks the truth. Armag was a Baron of Garganstah like myself, but he turned traitor, tried to come here and occupy this planet before the rest of us could return. But he never had the power to do such a thing," Sharaki added.

"And you're taking the time to tell us all this _why_?" Fireguard asked suspiciously.

"Because I am still at full strength, and you have all been injured to one degree or the other fighting my henchmen. To press such a blatant disadvantage would be dishonorable."

None of the Guardrangers could believe their ears. An alien invader who believed in fighting fair? But he was just standing there waiting for them to stop taking in air in gasps.

"I want to finish off the one in red," Rodim said, still miffed that Fireguard had overwhelmed his dark-energy power, "See who's really the strongest."

Fireguard stepped back defensively, brandishing the Dragon Steel. He was wary of anymore tricks this monster might have. Still, he was determined to fight. And that's just what he'd have to do, as suddenly Rodim charged like a bull at the Rangers. Fireguard swung with all this strength at Rodim, expecting his teammates to also strike at the monster.

But only one did.

Maybe it had something to do with the battle, that all of them had fared so miserably. Maybe they were all mentally worn out from the rapid-fire ordeals they'd had to overcome lately. But only Airguard joined Fireguard in his attack, their swords digging into Rodim's armor and blocking his mad charge. Airguard bashed him with a backhand to his head and knocked him back.

"What the hell's wrong with you guys?!" Fireguard snapped. Here they were fighting for their lives and ultimately those of everyone on the planet, and three of his teammates weren't even putting up a fight! But there was no time for a psychological examination now. He lunged at Rodim, Airguard right behind him.

Earthguard felt ashamed. They were supposed to be the defenders of the planet Earth. But they just stood there while their teammates fended off Rodim. Why had they all choked like that? Fireguard had every right to be angry. She ran to help him, but a black blur intercepted her, and formed into Sharaki.

"So, one of you finally found your backbone," he said, sounding almost grateful, "And since you've had your rest…well, I don't have to tell you, do I?" With that he took a swing with his massive sword, catching her painfully across the abdomen. Every nerve registered pain, but she stood fast. "Impressive," Sharaki said mildly.

"**PETRA...**" Earthguard intoned, aiming her open hands at Sharaki, Grizzly Claws poised to let loose the familiar petrifying fog of her earth-born E-Factor. But just as she was about to let the attack loose on the Garganstah Baron, Earthguard was distracted by a clicking sound. The sound of a camera.

It was a reflex. If she was thinking about what she was doing, it wouldn't have happened. But in mid-flight she turned to see what was making that noise, and saw Takeo, standing across the street, holding a camera and snapping pictures of the fight.

And if she had been fighting anyone but Sharaki, that momentary lapse would've been her last. Instead of cutting her down while she was distracted, he jumped back and she sailed past him and landed heavily on the ground. "Get up," was all he said. She did, but she didn't attack Sharaki once she was back on her feet. She ran over to where Takeo was clicking his camera and dragged him out of sight.

"Baka! What are you doing here? Can't you see there's a fight going on?" Earthguard was more than a little annoyed. She'd just gotten her will to fight back, she didn't need a civilian getting in the way. Especially not Takeo, who just by being here was bringing up issues in her mind she didn't want to deal with at all, let alone in the middle of a fight. At least he didn't know who he was really being yelled at…

"That's exactly why I'm here," Takeo replied, popping a fresh roll of film into his camera. He gave her his patented childish grin, "You remind me so much of somebody I know. Lighten up. Your job must be stressful enough without making every single life your personal concern." With that, he slipped out of her grip and dashed off.

Earthguard nearly choked. Where did he get off telling her to take it easy when she was trying to save his life? She'd been created to protect people and fight the forces of evil. What was wrong with taking that seriously? Maybe she had been a little harsh, but it was his own fault for getting within firing range of a fight between superhumans. But she caught herself. There was a fight still going on. Why was she still sitting here puzzling this out?! She ran to rejoin the battle, hoping that none of her teammates would ask why Takeo got back before she did later…

Meanwhile, Forest and Waterguard had finally gotten themselves together enough to fight with Sharaki, but they could tell they were outmatched.

Forestguard cringed as he prepared to do what he had to. He hated fighting. He wondered sometimes why he had agreed to join when sentai seemed to know of no other way of accomplishing their goals. It made him feel like the weak link of the team, since only he seemed to have principals against violence. But he was here, and if he wanted to keep breathing, he knew he had to fight back. The Gorilla Vine snaked through the air toward Sharaki's head, but he turned it harmlessly aside the half-hearted attack with a flick of his sword. A fireball flew from Sharaki's free hand and felled Forestguard like a tree.

Waterguard was next. Gathering his strength, he fired his strongest attack, "**ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!**" A whirlpool of watery energy spiraled out from his Orca Brand, churning furiously toward Sharaki. For a moment it looked like the Baron had been overcome, as the funnel of energy washed over him, but suddenly he hurled his sword with all his might, through the cone of the whirlpool, clipping Waterguard most painfully and disrupting the attack.

And in the chamber where he and his court watched the battle, Brannoch crowed triumphantly as he watched his ancient enemies fall at the feet of his minions.

"This is priceless! The warriors who chased us off Earth, and they're being beaten senseless by a mere scouting party!" he laughed, taking a gulp of his favorite Adreinean wine. This had been worth four thousand years of waiting.

"Your concerns were groundless, beloved," Devora said, putting an arm around his waist resting her head on his muscular armored shoulder, "Earth will be ours again in no time."

"Indeed, my lady. Indeed."

Miranna watched the battle as well from the back of the room, feeling repulsed by what her father and his court were reveling in the sight of. And she knew Treygan, wherever he happened to be right now was doing likewise. She couldn't remember the last time she had been truly happy. Almost all her life she had been a witness to the subjugation of planets as her father fought to enrich the lives of his people. Fighting, always fighting to do that.

Miranna sighed. She had been hoping--no, _praying_ that the Guardrangers would be able to finally stop her father's march of power, but it looked like Garganstah had just gotten too strong for them after four thousand years of conquering other planets. Forestguard and Waterguard stood up only to be sent tumbling as Sharaki turned into a blur of blinding motion and smote them with his sword, while Fire and Airguard struggled with Rodim and Earthguard finally reentered the fray, getting a sword smack from Sharaki for her bravado. Things didn't look so good for the planet's champions.

Garganstah and Takeo were not the only observers of the battle. Bes was too, and he knew why his charges were fighting so poorly in this drawn-out battle. But he didn't dare distract them by telling them why. He only hoped they could figure it out for themselves in time.

Fireguard, at least, was still at full force, and was doing his best against Rodim's dark energy constructs. But the monster was trying harder this time, pouring more power into his constructs. Shields jumped up around his body rapidly to block Fireguard's sword strokes, and this time he was unable to penetrate them. Airguard fared no better, unable to land a blow because of Rodim's shields. But she was so busy looking for a chance to strike, she didn't see a dark energy fist coming her way until it knocked her ten feet through the air to land with a skidding stop on the concrete.

As the shields appeared and disappeared, Fireguard also tried to find an opening, but he saw Rodim's fist coming in time to dodge out of the way. Another punch came, and he ducked under that. But as he did, Rodim fired a blast with his other hand, smashing into Fireguard's chest and pinning him to what was left of the wall of a building. Rodim charged up and grabbed him around the neck, planning on finishing this.

Fireguard gasped as Rodim's powerful hands tightened around his throat, but behind the monster, he spotted Airguard, back on her feet, and linked minds. Having fought against a monster all by himself for most of this battle, and with that same monster's hands now clamped around his throat in an attempt to make breathing difficult, he could really feel just how tired he was.

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Airguard, while he's got all his attention focused on me, nail him! Quick! he mentally gasped out.

__

Gotcha! Airguard replied. She had really come to admire Ryuji since he had accepted what he was destined for. There he was, right in the line of fire, and he was telling her to attack anyway. That showed some serious commitment. He'd gotten as serious about this as she had. And while she was worried about hurting Fireguard, she obeyed. Painless choices weren't always how things happened in this business, she knew.

Once more she called upon the elemental forces raging within her, and sang "**HAWK--DIRGE!**" Her attack blasted forth from her vocal chords again, a barrage of sound and aerial power. Rodim heard, and turned to see, but as he did he loosed his grip on Fireguard, letting the hero vault free as Rodim was blasted through the wall by Airguard's attack. He fell to the ground in a daze.

Now it was Fireguard's turn. He'd also been preparing for the arrival of any new foes, and used what he had created now. Burning crimson power channeled into the Dragon Steel from his body. The blade began to glow red, then ignited in flames. Just as Rodim recovered enough to see what was happening, Fireguard brought down his flaming sword in a great sweeping stroke toward him, crying out, "**DRAGON...HELLBURST SLASH!**"

The familiar sound of Hellscar's thunderous roar split the air as a wave of fire leaped from the blade and screamed toward Rodim. He couldn't get away, and the flame burst smacked into him and exploded. The sound and flash carried for blocks, and the other Rangers and Sharaki paused in their fighting as they noticed. Takeo lowered his camera and shielded his eyes.

So did the observing Garganstah nobles. "Gods and minions, what was that?!" Brannoch exclaimed, spilling his wine, "Sharaki's warrior doesn't have the power to create an upheaval like that."

"Then perhaps some investigation is in order," Devora said calmly. Entire planets had fallen to them. She was not worried by a single bad sign like this. Neither was Brannoch, but surprise could affect even one such as him.

"I believe you're right, my dear. And everyone knows I've been waiting to put my feet on that planet's soil again…"

Fireguard panted, holding himself upright only with effort. He'd used up more energy than he'd thought during that battle. Airguard dashed up to catch him before he toppled over. "You all right, boss?"

"I'm in better shape than him, I bet," Fireguard replied, pointing at a staggering Rodim, who was charred and smoking. At any moment he looked like he'd keel over dead, but he stumbled over to where Sharaki stood waiting for him.

"Looks like my bud showed your stooge what was what, wise guy," Waterguard said, glad that at last something was going their way in this fight.

"Sir…" Rodim moaned, "…I failed."

"Never fear, Rodim," Sharaki replied, withdrawing a small pouch, "It is not over yet." But before he could open the pouch, a loud hum suddenly filled the air and something huge descended from the sky. As it came closer, the Guardrangers all felt a sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs, while Rodim and Sharaki watched calmly, perhaps looking even a bit more sure of themselves now.

The huge object was a disc-shaped spacecraft. Towers of chrome protruded from the top. Strange writing covered the rim of the bottom half. And from the underbelly came two streaks of light. They hit the street, and formed into two humanoid figures. Brannoch and Devora. Their sheer presence was so stupefyingly awesome that no one moved. Even Takeo's camera fell silent.

"Nani? What now?" Earthguard asked a moment later, stepping protectively in front of her visibly weakened leader. Sharaki and Rodim fell to their knees before their Emperor and Empress.

Brannoch's good eye narrowed as he spotted Rodim, scorched all over from his duel with Fireguard. "Run into trouble already, have we?" he said.

"With all respect, sir, it's been quite a while since we left this planet," Sharaki said, defending his warrior, "I'm sure the Guardrangers have learned some new tricks in the meantime as well."

"So it would seem," Brannoch replied, looking at Rodim who was shivering with fear, then turning to face the Guardrangers.

"Guardrangers…" he said after a long moment, "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" He touched a hand to plate of metal covering half his face, then fixed his steely gaze on Fireguard, still leaning on Airguard for support, "You don't remember this, do you? The…reminders you gave me during our last encounter."

"Nope," Fireguard replied, his mind racing, trying to find a viable course of action to deliver him and his team from these two other Gargs who were sure to be even more powerful than the ones they'd just been fighting, "This is our second time around, and what happened before doesn't stay with us."

"I know that," Brannoch said, "I've been preparing for our next meeting for our next meeting for a long time, after all. But I thought I'd see if elemental creatures were different on this planet."

"Let's just get on with it, beloved," Devora said.

"Yes, yes, Devora. Guardrangers, I'd like to avoid any prolonged trouble, so I'm giving you the option of peaceful surrender now. I may even give you portions of the Earth to command once I have situated my empire on this planet if you don't give me any trouble."

Waterguard's eyes bulged from behind his visor. "Say** WHAT**???"

The Guardrangers froze. There was power and charisma behind Brannoch's words, but also something none of them had ever expected to hear from a conqueror of terrible power; what sounded like sincerity when making such an offer.

"Why are you offering this to us?" Fireguard demanded.

"I'll not do you the discourtesy of lying, Guardranger. I had been looking forward to returning to Earth and wiping you out, but I do not intend to wander any longer. Earth is where my people came from and it is where we shall reside from now on. I could use powerful allies in making sure humanity doesn't object too strongly."

Their minds reeled for a moment. In almost no time at all mightier enemies had come to face them, and now those same enemies were offering them a place in their empire. All they had to do was betray their friends, their loved ones. From his hiding place, Takeo just knelt there, wondering what the answer would be and not even thinking to take a picture of a moment like this.

One voice replied. No one was surprised to see who it came from.

"No," Fireguard said, flatly and finally, "I don't know if I speak for my whole team, but I've never known a group who tried to instigate a hostile take over to be a good thing."

"Yeah, get back in your ship and take off!" Airguard added, her own confidence bolstered by Fireguard's defiance.

"Very well, I gave you the chance," Brannoch said. Then without warning one of his fists was swinging toward Fireguard's head.

Also without warning, though, Earthguard's arm shot out, Grizzly Claw meeting Brannoch's forearm in mid-swing. She growled, trying to hold him back, but a surge of power jumped from his arm, through her Claw, and into her. Earthguard was hurled through the air into Waterguard's arms.

"What are you, _crazy_? Why did you do that??" Fireguard asked, still surprised.

"Tell me why you did likewise for me last time and I'll tell you," Earthguard said in a voice that implied that was a smile behind her helmet.

Brannoch let out a sigh, sounding slightly annoyed, if anything could be registered from that. "Sharaki, give your warrior something for his injuries. I've nothing more to gain here." He and Devora turned and started to walk away.

"Ex-_cuse_ me? You think you can zap in here, bark some sacred pronouncement and then zap right back out again? I don't think so!" Airguard shouted at his back, and, not waiting for a reply, prepared and hurled a Borean Burst at him.

Brannoch whipped around, an angry gaze locking onto the projectile. At once it disappeared, as if it had never existed. Then his gaze moved to the insolent Guardrangers, and the ground beneath their feet exploded with a pillar of flame half a mile high. They were all sent flying, smashing into the remains of buildings or anything else that happened to be in the way.

"Know this, Guardrangers," Brannoch said, "You haven't the faintest inkling of the power I wield. But I think I'll let my Baron be the one to boast of your defeat. Come, Devora. Let's leave Sharaki to his work." The two rulers of Garganstah disappeared back into the craft obscuring the sky above.

Sharaki took the pouch he'd been holding all this time and emptied it over Rodim's head. The golden dust that poured forth seeped into his skin and wounds, and he began to heal and grow in size. Within moments he had grown into a giant, and was completely unmarked by his previous wounds.

"Guess we all know what time it is," Fireguard said.

Forestguard winced. More fighting. And even higher stakes this time. For a moment he didn't join the others as they stepped into a line to send the call. Airguard had to drag him over with the rest of the team.

Together, the Guardrangers called out, "GUARD BEASTS, AWAKEN!"

And the great creatures of the elements roused from their slumber to answer the call. Hellscar flew free from a burning fissure in the ground. Tidalstorm erupted from the depths of the ocean. Terraclaw charged forth from her cave. Treebasher thundered through the forest where he made his home, and Windshear swooped down from the clouds. Within moments the Guard Beasts had arrived, and pulse of light issued forth from them that pulled the Guardrangers aboard. Five minds joined with the minds of their companion beasts, and the battle began anew. Again Takeo's camera began to click. He'd be damned if he was going to miss an opportunity like this.

Rodim aimed his hands toward the Guard Beasts, small darts of dark energy flying from his fingertips. The Beasts scattered. Just in time, as a block-wide area was blown to smithereens by the darts.

Hellscar and Windshear dove at Rodim from high in the sky, roaring and shrieking in a way that almost sounded like war cries. They wove back and forth in a double-helix pattern, moving closer with every passing second, and with a grin Rodim took aim at them. But before he could fire, they broke their pattern and flew by his sides, slashing him with their talons as they passed. Sparks exploded from the points of contact.

"Jase, let him have it!" Fireguard shouted.

"Gotcha! Let's do it, big buddy! **TITAN WAVE!**" was the reply, an enormous wall of water materializing from Waterguard and Tidalstorm's combined might over the element, and the giant killer whale rode it toward Rodim, washing over him completely. But suddenly the water seemed to explode, sending Tidalstorm flying head over tailfin, and was flung in all directions by a burst of dark power from Rodim.

"Is that the best you can do?" he jeered, his voice like rolling thunder.

"I'll show him," Earthguard said to herself. Terraclaw leaped into the air, then came down with a powerful impact that shook the ground. Rodim was knocked off his feet, but so was Treebasher, standing nearby the Guard Beast of Earth.

"Hey, watch it!" Forestguard cried, his voice a mixture of anxiety and indignity. He was having enough trouble focusing on the fight as it was, he didn't need his own teammates tossing him around too.

"Gomen," Earthguard replied, a little sheepishly. But Rodim was idle as they engaged in this miniature conversation, and lashed out with his foot, knocking Terraclaw onto her back next to the prone Treebasher. Seeing their allies in trouble, Hellscar and Windshear began to swoop down for another attack. But without even getting up, Rodim created and hurled a spear of his dark energy that completely coated Hellscar's wing. With that there, he couldn't control his flight and dropped like, well, like anything that could fly but in midair suddenly found itself with only one good wing. He smashed into the ground with a tremendous rumble.

Windshear tried to press the attack alone, but Rodim was now on his feet and just grabbed the giant bird out of the air. Darkness flowed from his hands around Windshear, forming a black cocoon, and Rodim tossed the trapped Guard Beast to the ground, completely helpless.

Terraclaw's legs flailed uselessly in the air, unable to do anything to right her boxy body. The agile Treebasher was back on his feet, though, and charged toward Rodim with a recovered Tidalstorm at his back.

Rodim fired a burst of energy, tearing up the ground between the two Guard Beasts and forcing them to flee from it in opposite directions. Treebasher snatched up a huge hunk of concrete from a decimated building. For a moment he thought of what the people inside must've looked like as the building exploded, then shut it out. He couldn't let thoughts like that distract him. He had to help his friends. Yes, that was it. Help his friends…

Treebasher hurled the chunk of debris at Rodim, smashing into his solar plexus with a satisfying shower of sparks. Rodim growled, "You'll be sorry for that, monkey," then leveled his hands at Treebasher to blow the ape away. But suddenly, two mouths clamped down on his wrists and foisted his arms into the air. It was Tidalstorm and Hellscar!

"Tochiro, nail him! We can't hold him for long!" Fireguard called to his teammate. Indeed, Rodim looked moments away from pulling his arms free. So Forestguard gathered his strength, about to command Treebasher to attack.

However, then an image entered his mind. Flames. Panic. The looks of horror on the faces of a group of office workers as the building they were in was obliterated. This monster had gleefully done that, he was sure. And it was now up to Forestguard alone to stop him.

But he couldn't do it. Forestguard knew he'd have to deal with this kind of thing when he accepted the Guardbrace. Life and death consequences and all. He felt his gorge rising, and wondered for a minute what would happen if he actually puked with this helmet on. He couldn't clear the picture of those terrified people as they met their doom from his mind. He could see Hellscar and Tidalstorm losing their grip on Rodim's arms, but as he tried to clear his head, focus on something easy to get him motivated and send Treebasher into his final attack, those terrified faces appeared again. It was no use.

Rodim laughed, slipping free of the Guard Beasts and jumping backwards out of their range before they could strike again. Then he concentrated, the black jewels studding his armor starting to glow darkly, if that was possible. And before the Guard Beasts who were still standing could do anything to stop it, bolts of darkness flew out of each jewel, smashing into dragon, killer whale and great ape. Explosions broke out where the blasts hit the mighty creatures, and they were rocked back on their heels. But Rodim didn't let up. Blasts kept coming with machine gun

rapidity. Buildings exploded, streets were torn up, and even the Guard Beasts who were already down were hit as well. Fireguard struggled to maintain the attack on Rodim, but Hellscar's vision was beginning to go dark already. But as it did, Fireguard could feel the Guard Beasts all starting to exert their energy, of their own whims, not because of anything the Guardrangers were having them do. He wasn't sure what was going on. This had never happened before.

The Guard Beasts slumped to the ground, battered and defeated. Rodim closed in to finish them off. But he was to be denied his chance. Without warning the Guard Beasts' bodies began to…soften, that was the only word to describe it. They became less substantial, then a moment later had reduced to streaks of colored light that flitted away in all directions.

Brannoch almost had apoplexy. "I don't believe it…I can't believe it…" After all that waiting, all that preparing, and the Guardrangers had slipped right through his fingers! He slammed his fists onto the arms of his throne in rage, and every courtier in the room screamed in panic at the thunderclap that resounded throughout the room from the twin impacts.

"Calm yourself, beloved," Devora said, slipping her hand within his, and immediately every trace of rage vanished from his being. "Why are you so upset? Can't you see? Our warrior won."

"Damnation, Devora. I can _see_ that! But we could've finished them off quickly and had it done with. Now they've escaped," Brannoch replied, calmly but firmly, "Gods and minions, I should've crushed them myself!"

"Beloved, you are powerful, but we have warriors for a reason. You can't lead every battle, we have an empire to govern. Let the warriors make war and the rulers rule. Without structure, an empire is not an empire, is it?"

"Don't you think I know that, Devora? We haven't conquered five hundred planets by being weak or foolish. But I had the power and I had the opportunity. I should've finished them off."

"Patience, Brannoch. They'll be adorning our trophy room soon enough."

From the back of the room, Miranna smiled to herself. Perhaps things weren't going to be so quick and easy for them on this planet after all, if their enemies would be able to evade them even in defeat…

Before he even realized he was awake, Ryuji felt a splitting headache. It passed after a moment, but he didn't dare open his eyes before it did. When he felt brave enough to let his eyes receive light again, he saw that he was in the Earth Sanctum. In fact, they all were, sitting around the meeting table.

"Ohhhh, man...What happened?" Jason asked, clutching his head. Apparently he wasn't recovering from that as quickly as Ryuji had.

__

"You were very lucky," Beservor said, _"The Guard Beasts used a very risky joint effort to escape back to their resting places and send all of you here. I don't think we'll be able to count on their help for some time."_

"At least we can count on them at all," Ryuji said icily, looking in Tochiro's direction, " All right, Tochiro, let's have it. We had him. Why didn't you do anything?"

Tochiro had his face buried in his hands. He said nothing for a long time, then half-whispered, "I just froze."

"You just froze?"

"That's right," he replied, feeling and sounding completely pitiful. "I knew I should've attacked. That it was up to me to finish him off. But I couldn't do it. My mind just froze on all the people he must've killed before we got there. I couldn't shake that picture…and so I couldn't attack."

"Tochiro…" Ryuji said in a voice that didn't do much to hide disappointment.

"I'm not a fighter. I'm sorry. I thought I'd be able to adjust and take things in stride, but this is a bigger responsibility than I can cover up by trying to keep things simple. I just don't feel as ready as I should be for all this," Tochiro replied.

_"I'm afraid it isn't just him. Most of you have yet to fully accept your duty with your whole hearts," _Bes said, getting everyone's attention, _"That is the main reason that last battle went so poorly."_

"You were watching us?" Miaka said, surprised.

_"I am always watching you when you are in battle. It is my duty, after all. And that is how I know why the fight was against you."_

"Come on Bes, it isn't our fault. Those guys were a lot tougher than Armag and his flunkies," Jason said defensively.

_"They are superior foes. That cannot be denied. But neither can it be denied that only Fireguard and Airguard are yet embracing their duty as fully as necessary for you to harness your maximum potential,"_ Beservor said, sounding like a professor giving a lecture. The room fell dead silent as he said this, but he proceeded onward_, "you have achieved victories in all your battles thus far, and I had believed you would learn by yourselves how dependant your powers are on how much of your heart you put into what you use them for. I was afraid that if you knew how much your powers depend on your commitment, it might work against you. But now there is no time just to hope. You must learn, and learn quickly."_

Jason, Naoko and Tochiro sat in hurricane-eye silence. True, they had accepted the bracelets and the fancy suits. Accepted that they had to drop everything and coming running to the rescue when a monster showed up looking for trouble. But how wholly had they really let it into their lives? Tochiro had already said how he felt like he was in over his head. Naoko, as serious as she always was and as much as she had needled Ryuji about being the same during the early days, had always depended on someone else to lead her, to tell her what she needed to do. Jason wasn't much different. He had planned on just following orders and letting the weight of history sentai had (he heard) behind them as unbeatable defenders of the human race.

Ryuji stood up and started to walk along the length of the room. He wondered what he was supposed to do now, to remedy this situation. Tochiro was the biggest problem, it seemed. He was a great guy, friendly and calm always. Ryuji thought about how he wouldn't have minded having a big brother like that as a kid. He liked him a lot. But that was exactly the problem. They needed him to be a warrior. Tochiro had to become something else. Something he didn't agree with and had no stomach for. But on the same note, he was also a pacifist by nature; it seemed terribly unfair to make him just up and change just like that.

But how to get him to do it? Ryuji didn't like the idea of forcing change on someone, but what choice was there? They needed all the Guardrangers at their fullest. And they'd been created by the very planet with their powers over the facets of nature. He couldn't just find someone else with no problems with violence. It was who was there right now or no one.

"We can't just sit here on our hands," Ryuji said finally, "They could come back for another fight any minute now."

_"I think you have earned yourselves a brief reprieve, Fireguard," _Beservor replied, "However…"

"However what, Bes?"

_"I may have an answer. There is a place called the Proving Grounds, where heroes go to test themselves. If you were to go and pass the tests there, which would require dedication and teamwork, you would gain the secrets of greater power."_

"And you didn't mention this until now?" Naoko asked incredulously.

_"Yes. The reason for this is because the Proving Grounds are very dangerous. There you wouldn't be able to henshin without all of your hearts at full strength and working in unison. Spiritual and mental, not physical power is the coin honored there. If you cannot tap into the full power of your hearts and work as one you would never survive."_

Ryuji looked at his teammates. They had come through some pretty close scrapes before. But he hesitated about making the decision to go to this place in search of superior power. If it was as bad as Bes said, he might very well be the judge sentencing the Guardrangers to death by doing so.

Jason caught his eye, and before Ryuji could say a word, said something of his own.

"Ryu, I know what you're thinking. Sounds like certain death, right? But you can count on me if you think this might help, dude."

"You don't even have to ask, Ryuji," Miaka chimed in, "You're the leader, I'll go where you lead."

But they were the ones whose cooperation he knew he didn't have to worry about. His best friend and his charge who regarded their responsibility as a mission sent by a higher power. What about the others?

Naoko was next. Businesslike as usual, she said, "We barely defeated Armag, and he was just one man. Now we have to fight his entire empire. I can't think of why having some extra power would hurt us."

"Tochiro…?" Ryuji said slowly, shifting his gaze to his final comrade.

"I let everyone down back there," he replied, "I'd just be doing it again if I wimped out on this, too."

"You sure?" Ryuji asked, a little guardedly.

"I'd feel like a coward for backing out now…and however much I may not like violence, I'm not a coward. I'll do this. Besides, I have to make up for losing us the fight, don't I?"

Ryuji put a hand on his friend's shoulder, nodding. "Arigato. Okay, everyone meet back here in an hour. If you feel the need to make any goodbyes, make them now," Ryuji said, heading up the stairs out of the Earth Sanctum. The others followed, then split up to get ready. And Beservor sighed, his, disembodied immortal soul worried that he might have doomed the group he'd been assigned to look after for by telling them what he had.

Miaka went to a public phone to call home. Said she'd be spending the night with some friends, then hung up before her parents could ask who. It felt bad doing it, but the road of super heroism wasn't always a smooth one. She stepped away from the phone and back into the darkening street.

"Daijoubu?" Tochiro asked as she did.

"Not completely. I hate lying, but I didn't have a choice, did I?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," Tochiro sighed. "I wish there was an easier way."

"I don't think heroism and easy travel in the same circles, Tochiro," Miaka replied as they started walking down the street.

"Is Naoko still meeting us?"

"Yeah, she should be here in a minute unless I miss my guess." Tochiro's eyes looked over the area, then caught sight of Naoko's jeep rounding the street corner ahead of them. She stopped alongside the pair and got out, her expression grim.

"You look happy," Miaka said, trying to lighten the moment. "Are you all right?"

"The prospect of charging into certain death hardly thrills me, Miaka. But I don't see how we have any other option. We need the power the Proving Grounds can give us, no matter what the risk is." Naoko tossed her hair back over her shoulder, the mask of indifference on her face softening to genuine concern. "Ryuji and Jason should be coming soon. We should enjoy the peace and quiet while we've got the opportunity."

Naoko was right about that--the evening was clear and calm with a cool breeze blowing by. A blanket of stars glittered gently overhead, white moonlight filling the near-empty streets with soft, gentle radiance. The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful--not one of impending war.

The wind tossed Naoko's hair gently, and she looked the absolute picture of serenity. To Tochiro and Miaka she seemed like a dainty young princess out of some ancient legend. The realization that she'd probably be tougher than either of them when she really put her mind to it made them wonder about what the woman were looking at all the more sharply.

Finally, Tochiro managed to ask, "Do you really think we're doing the smart thing, Naoko? Bes made it sound even more dangerous than those new Garganstah warriors."

"Of course. We've got a lot of improving to do to be ready for the next time we fight Garganstah, and Bes said that's what this place will make us do."

__

Or get killed trying, Tochiro thought, but kept it to himself. He was beginning to wonder if he had made the right choice promising to go along with this.

"Don't worry. If we all give Ryuji our best, he'll keep us alive. I'm positive about that."

__

Ryuji, eh? the two thought together without knowing.

Not really realizing it, Ryuji tried to appreciate the night too as he walked down the sidewalk, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket. With that on, he looked an odd sight with his old backpack on as well. Jason walked beside him in unnatural silence, his good-natured banter and playful joking seemingly lost beneath the growing minefield of anxiety in his mind. Ryuji looked at his best friend with empathy. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jason, seemingly reading Ryuji's mind spoke first.

"So...what do you think our chances are, Ryu? There's a lot riding on this."

"There always is, man," Ryuji sighed. "I can't believe the trouble we had back there with Sharaki and his pet stooge, Jase. We got whooped, bad."

"Yeah, no lie." Jason had guilt on his face.

Ryuji wanted to tell him to cheer up, to forget about how he had fought, that it was nothing. But it wasn't nothing. If it didn't change, and fast, they might all die in these Proving Grounds Bes had talked about. He didn't like the thought of that, but Garganstah had gotten more powerful since the last time the Guardrangers had fought them. The tests of the Proving Grounds would either force them to seize their potential, or kill them. And after that last battle, the promise of enhanced power was a very tempting one.

But how? How to get the others to become what they were meant to be?

Ryuji said nothing. And neither did Jason, though he was thinking pretty hard. He was wondering what he had to do, exactly, what he had to change to use his whole heart. It was hard to tell, since he hadn't thought he was doing anything wrong until a little while ago. Maybe he had to be braver, fighting harder, like Ryuji and Miaka had. Maybe he had to be able to call his own shots a little better. Maybe both, he didn't know. But he hoped he'd be able to find out in the Proving Grounds. They left to join the others.

The others stood at the base of Tokyo Tower, waiting for Jason and Ryuji to show up before they descended back into the Earth Sanctum. Tochiro shivered a little. He didn't like this situation at all, and wondered if it was possible to feel more in over his head. But he was still a part of the team, and whether he liked the situation or not, he promised he wouldn't fail them again.

Miaka noticed how on-edge he looked. "Hope you're not getting cold feet."

"No, but I am starting to wonder if I'm really cut out for this. I never thought I was destined to be some kind of superhero."

"None of us did, Tochiro. But we're here now, and there's no turning back. The world needs us. You'll do fine, I trust you."

"You really think so?" he replied, desperately wanting to believe it as much as she seemed to.

"I really think so. I can tell there's a hero in you somewhere. And when we really need him, he'll come out."

That was comforting, he thought. At least he knew there was one person who believed in him. Jason and Ryuji walked up to them, both looking fairly grim at the task ahead of them.

"Guess we better get going," Jason said. The door opened and they silently went down the stairs to their home away from home.

The inside of the Earth Sanctum had always been something of a soothing experience, a feeling that they were safe when they came here. Now, though, they felt like it was the waiting room to the afterlife or something. Most of the Rangers had been trying to avoid thinking about what could be waiting for them when they went to the Proving Grounds. Now, they couldn't help it. Images of pits of lava and undead warriors, among other frightening perils, flashed through their minds.

_"Are you all certain you wish to take this step?" _Beservor asked, any traces of hesitance or regret undetectable in his disembodied voice, _"There is still time to reconsider."_

"We're ready," Ryuji replied, speaking for the group. None of them wanted to back out, even Tochiro. All of them were serious about being a Guardranger, and understood that only they, of everyone on Earth, could be capable of producing sufficient force to stop Garganstah's warriors. The Guardrangers had to be ready.

_"Very well,"_ Beservor said, then paused. The lights in his orb began to fly around faster, the indication that he was beginning to use what remained of his magic powers. He chanted a series of ancient and obscure words, their meaning long forgotten. A moment later, a pinprick of light appeared in mid air, like when the door to the Earth Sanctum opened. But the light coming from the slowly expanding portal was brighter, and was evidently a much stronger one than that which let them into the Sanctum. Soon, it was large enough for a person to step through. And one by one, the Guardrangers did.

On the other side of the portal, the Guardrangers found themselves in a breath-taking primordial forest. The air was fragrant with the perfumes of dozens of otherworldly flowers. A deer-like animal leaped away into the underbrush as they materialized, and a pair of what appeared to be rabbits skittered into the safety of their hutch. A sun sank beneath the horizon, turning the sky yellow and pink. This place was beautiful. They were supposed to face traps and challenges _here?_

Behind the Rangers, the portal began to shrink into nothingness. Jason urgently called through it, "Hey, Bes! How do we get back?!"

_"If you succeed, you will find the way," _the wizard replied just as the portal blipped out of existence.

And suddenly, the Guardrangers felt very, very alone.

"So…now what?" Jason asked.

"Well, look like it's gonna be night soon. We can make camp and see what kind of trouble's waiting for us in the morning," Ryuji replied. That sounded good to the others, who found a shallow clearing to spend the night in. Tochiro collected dead branches and fallen bark and within minutes had a roaring campfire going. They all settled in and started warming up some food from the Golden Bushel Ryuji had thought to bring with him. Soon they were talking and joking, and almost forgot they were here to test their mettle. It would be the last time they were comfortable for a while.

Soon, the sun went down completely, and Ryuji divided them up into shifts for a night watch. Then they settled in to get some rest. 

It was probably going to be a long day tomorrow…


	9. Episode 9: One Heart, One Voice, One Pur...

****

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 9: One Heart, One Voice, One Purpose

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

Nema sat looking out her window at the moon. She found the pale light of this planet's moon indescribably beautiful. The ghostly light spilling in through her window and onto her floor made her feel as if she wasn't at home waiting for her lover to return, but as if she were riding those beams of moonlight through space, to the planet below. It was a peaceful feeling. If the rest of what Earth had to offer was anything like this, she completely understood why the Emperor wanted to retake this planet so badly. So badly, the other ladies in waiting told her, that his desire to reclaim Earth alone had kept him and Devora alive all those thousands of years Garganstah had been away.

She heard the door open and shut, and footsteps approached where she sat. "Welcome home, Lurian."

"Hello, Nema," her visitor said, leaning in and kissing her, "what are you doing up?"

"Waiting for you to get back, and you know that. They keep you 'til some odd hours."

"I'm sorry, they wanted Sharaki's warrior to be rejuvenated and upgraded as soon as possible. But I do a very important job, and _you_ know that. Imagine if we didn't have Animated Warriors. I'd probably die as a soldier during one of Brannoch's conquests, and where would that leave you?"

"Oh Lurian…I'm not complaining about the Animated Warriors and Silicons. I'm complaining about how long they keep you. I'm going to be a lonely bride soon if that doesn't change."

"It will, I promise," Lurian said, seizing her up in his arms, "We're going to settle on this planet, Nema. Brannoch himself has said so. We won't need Animated Warriors so much after that."

"I'm looking forward to that," she smiled, then kissed before leaving the room to prepare for bed.

But Lurian sat down in contemplative silence as she did. He knew he was providing a valuable service to his Emperor, creating artificial soldiers so that their own people could be spared the dangers of war. But…why did they have to make war anyway? Just once, couldn't Brannoch try negotiating or attempting peaceful coexistence? Certainly Garganstah had the forces to come out swinging if that didn't work. He helped to create their soldiers, after all. Wouldn't he know?

Well, at least he could take comfort in what he had told Nema. Earth would Garganstah's home from now on. No more planetary invasions after this. Perhaps then he could stop bothering his conscience about what the Animated Warriors were used for.

All such thoughts vanished from his mind as Nema reentered the room. She was dressed for bed, and at ease as she was she looked more beautiful than she would've if she was on the way to a ball. Lurian came to appreciate the moonlight too as it caught on her blue face. He felt the luckiest man in Garganstah to be engaged to Nema. And he knew, just by looking at her, that somehow everything would turn out all right.

The Proving Grounds were an alien place, and so it had taken him a long time to get to sleep with his troubled mind and doubts about the abilities of this allies, but Ryuji had a strange dream as he slept that night. He stood in a field of tall yellow grass, with majestic purple-hued mountains in the distance. The only sound to be heard was the rustling of the wind. Ryuji whirled around, trying to figure out what was going on, but stopped as he felt a hand drop onto his shoulder. He turned, and found himself face to face with a young man.

He was young indeed, no more than fifteen to look at him. He wore a lot of gold, Ryuji noticed. Headband, boots, breastplate and bracelets over black. Ryuji was sure he had never seen this boy before, and yet there was something very, very familiar about him, and in his eyes was a look of dedication that went beyond his apparent years, the somewhat bitter acknowledgement that his entire life had been given over to one purpose.

"Konichiwa, Fireguard-san," the boy said.

"Konichiwa…whoever you are," Ryuji said back.

"You're facing a crisis with your team," the boy went on, "You aren't sure if you'll be able to get them to fight hard enough to stop your new enemies."

Ryuji nodded. "How do you know that?"

"There's a sort of balancing force in the universe, Fireguard-san. When a powerful menace arises that humanity is incapable of dealing with, heroes arise as well to set things right. It creates us and binds all like us together, whether most of us realize it or not. That is how I know your name and your problem. I may have been the first, but you've probably seen this force at work more than I have."

Suddenly, recognition dawned on him. Ryuji did know who this was, even if he had never actually seen his face.

"...Riki. That's your name." Ryuji felt like he was being disrespectful all of a sudden. Somehow he knew that he was in the presence of not only the first Ranger ever, but of Earth's very first superhero. Calling this an honor would be underselling it.

The boy nodded and smiled at the recognition, but then became serious again. "That's right, I was the first to be blessed--though some would say burdened--with the powers you, your teammates, and all the sentai in your era have relied on to battle your enemies. Your team was beaten in battle, and you're in the Proving Grounds hoping to find a way to prevent it from happening again."

"But we'll fail again unless we all work together. And I don't know how likely that is after what happened last time," Ryuji interjected.

"Which brings me to why I'm paying you a visit. You see, not everyone can embrace such a role readily and completely as quickly as you learned to. To you, being a Guardranger is just as much of job to do as running your restaurant, and you probably think that as the leader, you bear the responsibility for your team's performance. That, however, isn't necessarily the truth. You can be the greatest leader who ever lived, but it means nothing if your teammates can't motivate themselves, do their own thinking and work together in deadly circumstances. You can only do so much. I'm sure you've heard the analogy about the chain."

"Yes, I have. But I guess what you're saying is they have to see how important the job is and commit to it and follow through on the commitment by themselves. Like I did…and not count on me to do it for them."

"Exactly. Remember, you must do your duty, but they must do theirs as well," Riki said, his image beginning to fade from sight.

"I'll try…Kingranger," Ryuji replied as Riki's image vanished completely.

Ryuji woke up a minute later to find the campfire they'd made smoldering. It was still the middle of the night, but Miaka and Naoko were sitting around the firepit talking. They noticed him waking up and beckoned him over. In a hushed voice to allow Jason and Tochiro their sleep, Naoko said, "Sorry if we woke you up."

"I don't think it was you," Ryuji replied, "I just had this weird dream…"

"About?" Miaka probed.

"Kingranger appeared to me," Ryuji said softly.

"Nani?! Kingranger???" Miaka almost shouted, her mouth dropping open.

"Good grief...what did he say to you?" Naoko asked, intrigued.

"He said that no matter how much I want to kick any of you in the butt about living up to our responsibilities, it's up to you guys to decide to commit and live up to our responsibilities."

"Must've been some dream," Miaka said evenly, but Ryuji was pretty sure she was jealous that it hadn't been her.

"I don't think it was just a dream," Ryuji replied, "He said there's some kind of force that creates heroes when they're needed, and that was what let him come and talk to me. I guess that makes sense. Why else would we be reborn in time to be old enough to be Guardrangers just when we need to be?"

"Well, I'm glad someone decided to do _something_ for us. We'll probably need all the help we can get come morning," Naoko replied.

As she said that, Ryuji's gaze shifted to his Guardbrace. The dull but comforting red glow of the stone set into it had gone out. Until all five Guardrangers gave their hearts over completely to their fight to protect the people of Earth, it wouldn't work here. And for a moment, Ryuji felt very, very human. During all the battles and times when he put his life on the line, he could take comfort in the fact that superhuman power was only two words away. Not now.

"What are you thinking about, Ryuji?" Naoko asked, "Kingranger's message?"

"Not really, Naoko. I was thinking about how we're supposed to survive this place. We can't even change here until all of us are totally committed to the cause."

"I hadn't even noticed until that last fight that it was just the two of us," Miaka said to her leader. It had been no small surprise to anyone that Miaka of all them had fully given herself over to being a superhero. Naoko made a noise that sounded like she wasn't pleased to be counted out like that, even if it was the truth.

"None of us did, Miaka," Ryuji said gently, trying to keep things from getting nasty between his teammates. "But that's the problem we're here to fix," he went on, "or die trying…"

"Come on, Ryuji. We didn't survive this long just by relying our powers. We must be part-way there already," Naoko said with a quiet confidence to her words.

"She's right, Ryuji. Just relax. I don't plan on letting us become the first sentai who let down the human race. It'd absolutely ruin our reputation," Miaka added with a wink. Ryuji smiled. At least he knew he could count on them in a pinch. And they were right. Somehow they could…_would_ find a way to pass the trials posed to them and return to Earth with even greater powers. He had to believe it. The idea of being here on a fool's errand did not appeal to him…

Sharaki went through some basic fencing maneuvers in his private training room. It was late, but Garganstah physiology was different from mortal man's, and as such, Sharaki needed almost no sleep. He waited silently, patiently for the command to resume the attack. He had since the day before when his warrior overcame the dreaded Guardrangers. They had not lived up to their reputation at all, he had thought. Rodim was one of the least of his men, had been chosen only as a scout. And yet he had defeated them.

Such a disappointment, too. He had been hoping for a last, epic battle to cement his place in Garganstah history before his days as a conquering hero ended with their settling on Earth. There appeared to be very little glory available from the Guardrangers.

He would go and ask Brannoch when they were to resume the attack, he decided. Standing around waiting would only drive him crazy, and his exercises weren't doing anything to calm his restless mind. Sharaki sheathed his prized warblade in its indestructible scabbard and left his quarters.

Sharaki checked in at the Emperor's throne room, but Brannoch was not there. According to the guards he was on the top level of the ship having a midnight get-together with some of the other nobles in the aristocrats' gallery. Sharaki hopped the first elevator to the dome.

The aristocrats' gallery was a special place on the Garganstah ship. Only the highest officials were allowed inside it, to discuss their business in peace and quiet and with the serene view of the cosmos through the dome covering the gallery. As Sharaki arrived, Brannoch was talking with a group of other noblemen Sharaki didn't know. One of them made a joke and they all laughed, even Brannoch. Amid the laughter Brannoch caught sight of Sharaki standing at the edge of the dome, excused himself and went to have a word with the Baron.

"Growing impatient, Sharaki?" Brannoch said as if reading his Baron's mind. And maybe he was. No one denied that he had many mysterious powers.

"Somewhat, milord," Sharaki replied.

"I'm surprised. Such a reaction is hardly something I would expect from you of all people," he said, in a voice that sounded a bit like he suspected Sharaki was up to something. Sharaki wondered for a second what Brannoch might do if he really ever thought that about any of his subordinates. "You should know for yourself that crushing a hated enemy isn't a job that can be done in a mad rush."

"Of course, sire, but a warrior must know when to move swiftly as well, and I thought you wanted the Guardrangers disposed of as soon as possible," Sharaki replied.

"That I do, but four thousand years of waiting for the chance has taught me patience, Sharaki. I admit I got somewhat caught up in the moment when you battled them before, but haste leads to rash and foolhardy action. I'm sure that was one of the first things you were taught," Brannoch said.

"Naturally, sire."

"So have patience. The fact that I want the Guardrangers dead is exactly why you must remain calm and focused while waiting for them. You defeated them before, but they will not be beaten so easily again, that I guarantee you. So calm your spirit and ready yourself for when the time comes."

"When _will_ the time come, sire?" Sharaki asked. "I have delivered many victories unto you, my Emperor. My entire life has been given over to overcoming enemies in your name. And how many more conquests can I expect once the Guardrangers _are_ out of the way? What is to become of me then?"

Brannoch's good eye narrowed, and mighty Sharaki shrunk back a step. "Sharaki," Brannoch said slowly, "I am the ruler of an entire Empire, am I not? An Empire that has hundreds of planets under its control?"

"Yes, sire," Sharaki said, but with confidence in his voice, "and it was my blade that delivered many of those into your control. Andreines, Phorae, Misa-Bal…"

"Yes, Sharaki. You led the armies that conquered those worlds for us and so many more. I am indeed grateful to you for that. And now you're worried that once Earth is conquered, I'll have no further use for you and your talents," Brannoch said, sharply but without malice.

"How did you know??" Sharaki asked in disbelief.

"Maybe I read your mind. Maybe I just take care to know about my most valuable subordinates. I don't know what to tell you, Sharaki. I suppose what you do after you make your final conquest is up to you. I'd be lying if I said I would need my military as much after Earth is occupied, but don't fear the future so much. You will find a purpose, and my people and I are still counting on you to bring our home back to us. You are forgiven as long as you remember that."

"Yes, sire. Thank you for pardoning my impatience. I…overreacted," Sharaki said.

"Go and calm your spirit, Sharaki. You will be notified when any trace is found of the Guardrangers. Now if you'll excuse me, the others are beginning to look worried," Brannoch replied as he walked back to the table with the officials, where the lively discussion resumed. Sharaki turned and left the dome.

Yes, Sharaki would be ready. He would go prepare and stand vigil right this minute. As Garganstah's finest swordsmaster, he would not--_could not_--do less.

Jason woke up groaning as he tried to work out the sleep kinks in his back. He wasn't used to sleeping on hard ground. Sleeping in four-star hotels half the year around had made him soft, he thought to himself. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he glanced around at his immediate surroundings. Ryuji was stretched out next to him, lying on his stomach. The others were resting around the remains of the campfire, still asleep. Whoever was on watch must've drifted off too, but it seemed like nothing had come along to disturb their slumber anyway.

He sat up slowly, letting the others sleep for a while yet. He had never been in a lush forest like this, and found it hard to believe that they'd come here to prove what heroes they really were. What kind of tests could possibly await them here? He quavered a little thinking about it, as he realized how quiet everything was. There were no sounds to be heard but the breathing of his slumbering teammates. Until...

"Jase?" Jason looked down to see Ryuji blinking up at him sleepily.

"Oh, sorry, bro," Jason said sheepishly. "Didn't mean to wake you up." 

"No sweat. I was going in and out anyways. Daijoubu?"

Jason sighed heavily. "I blew it, Ryu. I let you down."

"Nandatto?" Ryuji pushed himself up on one elbow. "Jase, don't..."

"Don't what? Tell the truth? This whole Guardranger thing, man... I mean, here I am getting on your back to take it seriously, and when you finally do, I can't deliver on my end." Jason pulled his knees up to his chest and pushed a hand through his hair, unable to meet his best friend's eyes. "I'm sorry, dude. I screwed up."

"Seems like there's a lot of that feeling going around." 

Jason and Ryuji both looked up to find Tochiro sitting cross-legged in the grass in front of them. "Jason, I'm a lot more guilty of this than you are. You didn't freeze in the middle of that fight with Sharaki's guy. You're not the one who almost cost us all our lives back there. It was me. I did that." Shame was a painted portrait over Tochiro's face.

Ryuji took in the sight of his friends and teammates, both of them fighting their guilt and losing. He'd been somewhat short with Tochiro over the whole thing, but he'd never intended to be deliberately harsh. But he'd been convinced recently that they had to carry their own weight, and so he didn't feel like he could be too forgiving about what had happened.

Ryuji stood up. "Guys, listen…I'm not the one should be making your apologies to. I know this is tough, but you're the ones who have to find it in yourselves to do what we have to do."

"Who told you that?" Tochiro asked.

"Kingranger did," Ryuji replied matter-of-factly.

"Nani?" Tochiro blurted.

"Ryu, I…" Jason began, but Ryuji cut him off.

"Jase, save it, okay?" Ryuji put a hand on his friend's shoulder to keep the words from stinging too deeply. "We don't need words, we need proof that we're all up to being the Guardrangers. So let's go prove it, huh?"

Ryuji woke up the girls, then the five of them headed off down the only path leading from the clearing, figuring it was as good a way to start their journey through the Proving Grounds as any.

Soon, the cover of trees broke and the Rangers found themselves in a scenic valley. It seemed just as unlikely to present them with life-threatening danger as the forest had. Still, the Guardrangers were now alert, feeling their humanity keenly now that they were cut off from their powers for the first time. Shadows seemed to dart into hiding at the edges of everyone's vision, and the quiet all around them seemed to scream a warning that something evil was lying in ambush. They continued on, wary of the smallest sound. It was more than a little unnerving.

They were all wondering the same thing, but it was Naoko who broke the silence. "This is strange, don't you think? I thought this place was supposed to test us, but nothing's happening."

"Yeah, it's too freakin' quiet," Jason muttered. "I mean, no birds singing, the wind's died down...it's like waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Yeah, that's the same feeling I've got. Keep your eyes open, guys. Look for anything around here that's unusual," Ryuji replied.

"Like that?" Tochiro asked, pointing ahead. They followed his finger, and noticed what appeared to be a large statue in the near distance.

"Think it's a clue or something?" Jason queried.

"We won't find out standing here," Naoko answered, and strode purposefully over to it. Ryuji was about to call out for her to stop, to stick with the rest of them, but saw there was no point. He just jogged after her and quickly motioned for the others to do the same.

The statue set on the edge of a large expanse of sand. The Rangers couldn't see the other edge of it. But for the moment their attention was focused was on the strange monument before them. On a large block of tan stone stood five statues of warriors cast from the same material, all brandishing outlandish weapons and standing in martial arts poses.

What struck the Rangers, though, was the fact that they recognized these warriors.

"Okay, Miaka…" Jason piped up. "Wanna give me a roll call?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Miaka replied with enthusiasm, and instantly got to work identifying them out loud, even though most of her teammates already knew who the statues depicted. "The first one here on the left is TimeRed," she gestured to the statue of the Timeranger's defacto leader, who was holding his Assault Vector.

"This is NinjaWhite, the first woman to lead a sentai. She wasn't much older than I am at the time." Her statue stood to Time Red's immediate right, her right hand wrapped around the hilt of her KakureMaru, the other just behind her back beneath its sheath. "That's Mega Black," she continued, pointing to his statue, Mega Rod in hand. "This is Burai, the Dragon Ranger. He was the first sixth Ranger. The short sword he's holding's the Zyusoken. He used that to summon his Shogozyu, Dragon Caesar."

Jason let out a breath, trying to be impressed even though the names meant nothing to him. "Whoa."

"Now this last one--" Miaka stopped short when she reached the female figure on the far end. "Umm…"

"What's wrong?" Jason asked.

Miaka looked abashed. "I have NO idea who this is…" she replied, pointing at the feminine figure.

"Yellow Four," Naoko said. "Of the Biomen." Everyone turned to look at her in surprise. "Please, as if Miaka's the only one allowed to know anything about other sentai?"

"Well, no, of course not. But...are you sure?" Tochiro asked. 

"I'm positive. She was strong, dedicated…everything I believed a hero should strive to be."

"It shows," Jason drawled.

"_Nani_?" Naoko glared Superman heat-vision at Jason.

"Come on, guys. We didn't come here to kill each other," Ryuji said, trying to keep this from getting out of hand. "Look at this."

They did. Carved into the block of stone the statues stood on was an ancient message. It read,

Hearts United As One,

All Giving All For All

" 'All giving all for all'? What the heck does that mean?" Jason asked. Ryuji had an idea, but a strange feeling told him to be quiet about it.

"You have no idea?" Naoko asked.

"Hey, I'm just a little out of my depth here," Jason came back. "It's not like I know anything about sentai."

"You're kidding." Miaka looked surprised by this.

"Nope. Every year, an alien invasion or an uprising of demons or something crazy like that happens, but it only affects Japan. A team like ours shows up, fights them, beats them and then goes away. Eventually the rest of the world stopped paying attention to us guys."

"Jase, that's not funny," Ryuji cut in.

"I never said it was, dude, but it's true. After a couple years of non-stop sentai vs. monster stuff, well, we stopped hearing worried news reports about which country was next. At least that's what my dad said…but I never heard about guys like us on the news unless I was in Japan."

"People, can we worry about where in the world we're going to be on the news later? We're on the clock here," Naoko said, interrupting the debate.

"Yeah, I know we are. I'm just telling everybody that's why I seem so clueless about all the stuff you guys, who see these sentai all the time, take for granted," Jason replied, shrugging his shoulders. "We just don't have superheroes where I grew up, and the built-in knowledge we have only goes so far."

"C'mon, Jase. Remember that time I was staying at your dad's place and you took me to that huge comic book shop? I mean, America's probably got the biggest variety of superheroes and I've ever seen, man. Didn't that give you some kind of idea of what all this might have been like?" Ryuji said, still a little incredulous.

"It's not the same thing as being able to see real-life costumed good guys and watching how they do it, bro," Jason said with a surprising seriousness from him. "Anyway, the Gargs probably aren't gonna wait for long. Let's get going, huh?"

The Rangers set off behind the monument. Almost at once, though the skies began to darken as a wave of heavy clouds cover overtook the sun, throwing them into momentary darkness. The Guardrangers continued on undaunted, but they hadn't gone more than twenty feet before a rolling wall of fog appeared and swallowed the group whole. The Rangers tried to stick close together, but the fog became so thick that almost at once they lost sight of each other.

"Ryuji? Miaka? Tochiro? Where are you guys?" Jason called out. No reply came.

"Well I don't know about them, but _I'm_ right here. And as far as your concern for my welfare goes--_arigato gozimasu_," Naoko said dryly.

"That's not funny," Jason said, noting the trace of sarcasm in Naoko's tone, but ignoring it all the same. He was getting worried. "Where is everybody?"

Miaka hung tightly onto Tochiro's hand so as not to lose track of him in this thick fog. "Jason?! Naoko?" he called vainly.

"Kami-sama...what happened? How could they all just up and vanish like that?" Miaka asked worriedly.

Tochiro sighed, "I don't know. I can't see an inch in front of my face in this fog, but I don't understand why they can't hear us, we weren't that far apart when the fog set in." Holding hands tightly, Tochiro led the way into the mists as they began the search for the others.

Ryuji, meanwhile, stumbled through the fog alone, calling out to his teammates every few steps. He had the same luck as the others, though--as in none at all.

He stumbled as his foot caught into a pothole and cursed. Pulling himself up again, Ryuji was surprised to see the fog beginning to clear ahead of him. As it did, he could make out a humanoid figure, and started to run forward, thinking he had found one of the other Rangers. A few seconds later, the fog cleared enough to show him that he was mistaken. The figure was no one he knew. He was a tall, imposing being wearing dark robes and a tattered crimson cape. His complexion was pale blue and his long gold hair was carried off to the side by the gentle breeze blowing around them. The person, whoever it was, extended a hand and beckoned him.

"Who are you?" Ryuji asked suspiciously.

"Your host, you might say. I am the taskmaster of the Proving Grounds. You are quite privileged, my friend."

"Oh, yeah?" Ryuji drawled. "Why's that?"

"You're the first visitor I've had in six hundred years, that's why. I intend to put your friends through some tests to gauge for myself if they truly possess the inner strength required to bear the name Guardranger."

"Okay...here's another question for you--why do you make it sound like I'm not going to try to help them?" Ryuji said.

"The fact that I'll not allow you to do otherwise, for one thing," the strange man replied benevolently. "Nothing transpires here in the Proving Grounds unless I permit it, and as such, your friends must conquer their own demons with the aid for their leader."

With that he threw his arms out to his sides, a howling surge of wind swirled to life around them, and everything went black.

So it was with the other Guardrangers as well, wandering through the fog in search of their allies. Suddenly the wind picked up, and then darkness prevailed. After a moment of that, torches suddenly lit themselves, and the two pairs of Rangers found themselves in what looked like the inside of a pyramid, but isolated from each other.

"All right, I'm getting creeped now...where are we?" Miaka asked.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look like we found the others," Tochiro replied. "Naoko? Ryuji? Jason?" he shouted, but got no response. "Come on, Miaka. Let's try to find a way out."

"Right behind you," she said, and followed him through an ancient doorway and into the heart of this strange tomb, or whatever it was. Jason and Naoko, likewise in a strange room in this tomb or pyramid or whatever it was with no sign of their comrades, set out together to find them.

__

Hmmm...an interesting group, to be sure. This could prove to be most interesting, the taskmaster said to himself. He and Ryuji stood in a room like the rest of the Rangers had appeared in, except there were no doors or windows, no way out. By means of a glass screen set into one wall, he watched Tochiro and Miaka thread their way through the corridors of the maze, then snapped his fingers and saw Jason and Naoko also trying to find their way out.

Ryuji wasn't paying much attention. He was struggling with the manacles the taskmaster had put around his wrists and ankles to keep him from causing trouble, though what he was supposed to do to foul up the taskmaster's plans when he couldn't even see a way out of the room, he didn't know.

"Why are you doing this?" Ryuji demanded.

"Why? Do you truly need the answer to such a question, young man? Did you and your comrades come here not knowing you'd be tested? Everyone who's come to the Proving Grounds over the course of time knows that. I cannot be expected to simply hand over the secrets I've been charged to protect to just anyone who comes along looking for them, can I? I must test their mettle on a number of levels--physical, mental, even spiritual. Besides...I haven't even gotten started yet. Better to ask me that question again when this truly begins."

Ryuji fumed. He hadn't thought someone would be actively working against them. But the taskmaster was right, they had come knowing they'd be tested. He had thought they would all be tested _together_, though.

"Now then…" the taskmaster trailed off, "let us see just what kinds of demons are roaming unchecked through your friends psyches."

"Ryuji?!" Jason called out, but the only reply was his own echo. "C'mon, dude, answer me!"

"This is getting pointless. They could be anywhere," Naoko said. "and Kami only knows why _we're_ here and the others aren't. What are we supposed to do?"

The taskmaster smiled in the distance as he heard this. This was exactly the problem that had kept her from reaching full potential. But no, she could wait. It was the one who radiated the blue aura that he wished to vex first.

"Man, I wish Ryuji was here. He'd know what the heck we should be doing to get our butts in gear," Jason muttered. Almost at once a block in the wall in front of him lit up with writing in letters of the brightest gold.

__

To have such faith in your friend is admirable. But you would be better served by having faith in yourself.

Jason was taken aback. "What the--" he began, but before he could get any further the writing began to swirl and change into something else. Into a scene Jason was trying hard to forget. It was him as Waterguard, battling futilely against a group of Silicons. He looked as if he didn't really know what the hell he was doing out there, engaged in mortal combat with creatures of metal who had been created only to crush Garganstah's enemies.

His image fought and fell. He was saved only when Fireguard and Airguard, the only members of the team who had already found their purpose and dedication, had come to the rescue of the others.

The images vanished, and more golden letters scrawled themselves across the block. _Poor Ranger. He can barely fathom the depths of all this. But then...he's hardly the only one floundering at the moment..._The writing faded as soon as they had finished reading it, and another image began to appear. Sharaki formed from the miasma of light, and then Earthguard, fighting bravely but uselessly against him. And then she let herself be distracted in mid-blow by an observer to the battle.

Again the visions vanished and words crawled across the stone. _Two who profess to defend the defenseless, one who comprehends not what is asked of him, one who cannot lead herself to face it. Until their minds change, their fate remains the same._

Jason and Naoko stood in silence for a long moment as the writing vanished, nothing taking its place this time, but they could swear they heard a sadistic cackle coming from somewhere in the distance. They had both been through some rough scrapes since becoming Guardrangers, but having the exact identity of the problems they were facing wrenched from the depths of their minds and thrust in their faces was harsh and jarring.

"Whoa...Deja vu all over again. Somebody knows us pretty well, huh?" Jason whispered, more to himself than to Naoko.

"Clearly. But don't be _too_ surprised. It's the reason we all had to come here, after all," Naoko answered, though Jason could tell she'd been shaken up by it too.

"So... what now?" he asked.

"We might want to consider running," Naoko replied, no emotion at all in her voice.

Jason spun half-around to see what she was talking about, and saw three pairs of nasty-looking green eyes appear in the doorway behind them. They were attached to three towering troll-like creatures with grayish-green mottled skin. Each carried a studded club that looked like a human skull wouldn't be much of an obstacle to it.

"Oh, yeah...running. Awesome concept. Tremendous idea," he blurted, ducking into the nearest doorway away from them. Naoko was right behind him. With the howls of a creature attacking a helpless foe, the monsters charged after them.

Tochiro led the way through the maze, not sure at all where he was going. But when he suddenly heard shouts and growls coming from straight ahead, he knew better than to be in the way of whatever was coming toward him.

He grabbed Miaka by the shoulders and hurried her into an adjacent doorway and pulled both of them out of sight.

"What are you doing?" she protested, "That could be the others."

"No way. I've never heard anything human make a sound like that, and we can't take the chance that it might be something else," Tochiro replied, wishing he could still call on his powers. True, they hadn't served him that well in his last battle, but anything was better than the feeling of abject vulnerability that crept over him as the sounds drew closer. And closer. Then they were in the next room, and Tochiro and Miaka held their breath for a tense moment until the sounds began to fade into the distance.

"That was close," Tochiro said, letting out his breath.

Miaka looked at him wordlessly. While she had been gathered protectively in his arms a minute ago, she had felt a strange sensation. Miaka had wondered about Tochiro for a while, about what kind of person he really was and what kind relationship she might have with him outside of them being Guardrangers.

He was usually so serene, as if unaware of how dangerous things usually were for them. And yet there was a very heroic part of him too. An unusual combination, but one she found herself drawn to. How, though, she wondered. Was it a crush, or a brotherly thing? Noticing the look on his face, she decided to worry about it later. A look of unpleasant surprise had swept over his features, and she followed his gaze to see what the surprise was.

It was small tendrils of golden light snaking into strange shapes on the wall in front of him. After a second she began to recognize words in the golden scrawl. _You defend, but you cannot attack. You flock beneath the banner of those who fight for your people, and yet you fail to raise your sword for its cause._

"Nani? What's all that supposed to be about?" Miaka asked, but Tochiro said nothing. The words began to disintegrate, as if being blown away by the wind, but nothing replaced them. Nothing had to, Tochiro knew exactly what it meant.

He walked out of the room not paying attention to where he was going. Miaka called out to him, then dashed after him when he didn't answer, but he paid her no mind. He was too busy thinking about what the writing on the wall had said.

Tochiro had never, ever been the violent sort, and now it seemed strange that he had so readily accepted it when two strangers had come up and asked him to join their team to protect the world. It wasn't as if he hadn't known what these kinds of people were expected to do. Who couldn't? Jason had been right, every year a new sentai and a new menace for them to fight popped up. But he had still accepted the opportunity. Why, he still wasn't sure. Maybe in the back of his mind he had been afraid that if he passed up a chance like that he'd never get another one, and deep down he really did want to be a hero. Maybe it had been some kind of force beyond his control. He was certainly willing to believe in such things now.

But he had choked during that last battle, both when fighting the Garganstah warriors head-to-head and within his Guard Beast. He had never been comfortable with the job of fighting super-powered enemies, despite always answering the call, and it was because of his reluctance that the Guardrangers had lost.

__

Failure…not a fighter, a voice seemed to say in his head. _Failure, failure…_

"Failure…"

"Tochiro, what's wrong?" Miaka asked in alarm.

"I…failed. If I hadn't frozen up we would have won that battle. I'm just not cut out for being a warrior…"

Miaka paused. Tochiro had never seemed like the warrior type to her, either, but that wasn't to say he brought nothing to the team.

"Okay, maybe you're not a fighter the way Ryuji or Naoko are. That doesn't mean you're not an important part of the group. We never would've won the battle in Izumo if you hadn't come up with that medicine to stop the germ Armag was spreading."

"That was different. He was just one guy with a few monsters, how am I supposed to deal with a whole empire?" Images of feeling like he was about to puke while the others were either helpless or waiting for him to attack their enemy, and the feeling of being overwhelmed prevented him from doing anything at all.

"Tochiro, look at me," Miaka said. She grabbed his head and forced him to look her in the eye. "You wouldn't have taken the offer if you weren't up to it."

"Then why did we lose if I'm so up to it?"

"You just have more to learn than the rest of us do. Look, a sentai is just like any other kind of team. Everybody has to make a contribution, but not everybody's contribution has to be the same," Miaka said gently, and her words began to break down the darkness tormenting Tochiro's mind. It hurt her to see him like this, but she seemed to be getting through.

"Do you really know so much you can say that?" Tochiro asked.

"Yes. Everyone's good at something different in a team. You're sensitive to nature and good at solving problems with your mind instead of brute force. That's a big help right there."

Tochiro looked deep into Miaka's eyes. In his mind he still saw himself hesitating, unable to deliver the blow to Rodim, but in front of him he saw Miaka, willing to forgive him and give him a chance to redeem himself. So young, so vital, so much more knowledgeable than he was in these matters.

"Maybe you're right," Tochiro whispered, then stood up. "Let's go."

Miaka smiled. "That's more like it."

"Like you said, I may not be a fighter like the others, but I don't want to blow this twice."

The two of them set off into the labyrinth again. Tochiro looked over at Miaka for a second, and determined that for her sake, her confidence in him, he would not let the team down again. She was counting on him now, and he was going to be worthy of that confidence.

"Ah, such entertainment!" the taskmaster cheered. "I haven't had such an interesting go of it in ages."

Ryuji regarded him coolly, wordlessly. He and the taskmaster had just watched Miaka give Tochiro her little pep talk, and watched them now as they wandered the maze trying to find their friends and the way out.

"You've been silent for some time now, Fireguard. Contemplating escape?" the taskmaster said suddenly.

"If I could walk through walls or get out of these handcuffs, I might," Ryuji replied, hopping over to the taskmaster's side with the chains of the manacles around his legs jangling noisily as he did.

"This is hardly a personal vendetta, you understand," the taskmaster said. "Your friends are consenting adults--well, most of them are. You must realize they have to prove they can rise above any crisis if they desire the power I keep."

"And I suppose choking you with these chains wouldn't help any."

The taskmaster laughed. "No, it would only make things worse. But I'm impressed you still have your sense of humor."

"If you can't laugh, what have you got left?" Ryuji said conversationally, wondering what the hell he was doing. This guy had just sent a group of killer, smelly monsters after Naoko and his best friend, and Kami only knew what else he had planned. Why was Ryuji talking to him with this kind of ease and relaxation?

"Yes, I suppose so. But that isn't going to see your friends through what I have in mind," the taskmaster said, becoming serious. "I've shown them the door. It is all up to them to conquer what waits on the other side." He snapped his fingers, and for the Guardrangers, reality suddenly took a turn for the worst.

Jason's legs felt like cement and his lungs were so hot inside that he felt he had swallowed a bucket full of burning embers. But the overpowering stink of the troll-creatures was still strong behind them, so he and Naoko couldn't stop running yet.

But then there was the sound of rock grating on rock, and something heavy falling. He didn't care, he kept running. Something else looking to end his life in this crazy place, no doubt. There was a thundering crash, and suddenly the growling of the monsters that had been chasing them couldn't be heard anymore. Even the stink that had been threatening to overwhelm him was somewhat muffled. Jason brought himself to a gasping halt, then slowly turned around to see that a stone door had dropped from the ceiling and blocked the way behind them.

""Well...there's luck for you," Naoko panted.

"I'm not sure it was luck," Jason replied. Suddenly there was another rumbling, a sound of stone against stone, this time beneath their feet. A slab in the floor slid away, revealing a flare of blinding gold. Jason shielded his eyes and tried to see where it was coming from, saw the light coming from a stairway descending into the depths of this strange building. Jason began down the steps.

"Wait! Who knows what's down there?" Naoko said.

"Hey, at this point, it's a helluva lot safer than staying here! C'mon!" Indeed, that corridor sealed off by the stone door had been the only way out of this room. It was a dead end. Jason's sneakers crunched against the ancient stone of the stairs as he started to go down.

"Well...when in Rome, or...something..." Naoko sighed. She hurried down after him, covering her eyes against the harsh golden glow. As the two of them descended the steps, the light began to soften until they could stop shielding their eyes. Soon the bottom of the stairway came into sight, and beyond it another doorway. But above it was a strange sign, written in those gold letters that had taunted them before.

__

The final test lies beyond. Through here you will find if you truly are heroes, or simply ones who are waiting to die. There is no escaping destiny.

"So much for the fuggin' red carpet," Jason muttered.

Naoko ignored Jason's flippant remark for once. She was too worried about this "final test" they had just been warned about. She saw the instant where she had been locked in battle and then let her attention wander to someone on the sidelines. A mistake that would have left her dead against anyone but Sharaki. What if that happened again? What if she couldn't focus in battle, when she already wasn't fighting with her whole heart? Before this was over, she was sure she'd get to find out.

Silently, they walked down the rest of the stairs and through the doorway.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Miaka asked, though she knew the answer as well as he did.

"I wish I could say yes..." Tochiro replied. There were no clues to follow in this maze, no sounds of living things. No one answered their calls. One room in this maze looked just like all the others.

Suddenly, there was a burst of golden light on one wall. Instead of writing, though, it was an arrow pointing to the doorway next to it. Curious, the Rangers stepped through it into the next room, and another arrow appeared next to another doorway. They walked through this one as well, then another arrow appeared in the next room beside yet another doorway. They followed the arrows hurriedly through a series of rooms, not sure what they could expect to find, but feeling anything would be better than more aimless wandering.

Soon they stood in a room with no doors but the one they'd used to enter, as featureless as all the others in this labyrinth. Suddenly, more of the gold writing they had seen before scrawled itself out on the wall in front of them.

__

Time grows short. Evil will rise soon and good must rise higher to overcome it. Come now, heroes, face your fate and prove your ability to rise.

"What does that--" Tochiro began to ask, as the floor collapsed beneath them. Miaka shrieked in surprise all the way down, until they splashed into a fast-flowing river full of freezing cold water far below the labyrinth. It carried them through caves at a startling pace, before starting to slow down and shallow out, finally depositing them in a torch lit cavern with a doorway in the far wall.

"You all right?" Tochiro asked, pulling himself out of the water.

"Kami-sama...I swear, another landing like that and I'll be crippled." Miaka replied.

"From that message it seemed like we must be getting close to the end. Can't let the threat of wheelchairs stop us now." Tochiro said, trying to smile at his wisecrack as he helped Miaka up. He was wondering what could be waiting for them ahead. But he would face them bravely. Miaka was counting on him.

Miaka was wondering what Tochiro was thinking. In addition to his serene manner, being hard to read had always been one of the big things about his personality. But now she sensed a confidence about him she hadn't before. Had she really gotten through to him that well? There wasn't a trace of the doubt or fear that had lost them the battle before.

Together they passed through the doorway.

The taskmaster silently watched the two pairs of Rangers travel into the very heart of the labyrinth. He concentrated on what he had seen in them, what problems he had unearthed when he peered into their minds, quickly but expertly forming constructs born of those fears and insecurities, which would probably scare the Guardrangers out of their wits, but it had to be done. Just as he had been doing it for other adventurers throughout the ages.

As the Guardrangers entered the depths of the strange structure, they noticed nothing odd happening. They wouldn't find out what he was up to until _he_ let it happen. But he would. He had already stoked the fire, now it was time to fan it.

Tochiro and Miaka walked cautiously down a long hallway, but all of a sudden Tochiro felt as if he was in a daze, barely noticing the all-encompassing blackness that sprang up around them as the walls and floor melted away. Miaka was wafted away from Tochiro by some unseen force, and suddenly unearthly voices began to chant around him.

__

Tochiro? Tochiro, are you there? A soft, musical voice whispered out of the dark. The blackness rippled and shifted, taking on a slender feminine form, its arms reaching out toward him. It was Saori Matsunaga, the charming young biologist he had known for all of two or three hours before parting company before. What was she doing here?

__

Tochiro...thank Kami-sama I found you in time. Come with me," she said, taking his hand. _Come with me...away from all this fighting and turmoil. You don't have to be a part of this any longer. _At her spoken words, a lush forest full of every form of natural beauty he could imagine come to life around her, filled with untouched sylvan beauty. His head felt numb, and he was only barely aware of his surroundings. But he could feel a wave of peace washing over him as Saori pulled him toward the woodlands behind her, and did not resist.

Such was not the same for his teammate, though. _No...**No! **What is he **doing???**_

Miaka was still there. She tried to rush over and grab Tochiro, to save him from whatever kind of trap he was being dragged into, but something held her back. This test wasn't for her, after all, but she would play a part in it all the same when the taskmaster was ready to use her.

Miaka wanted to cry out, to call him back somehow. She didn't know how she really felt about Tochiro, but she could feel something menacing about all this, and tried to find her voice to warn him, but no words came. None of her own, anyway. Miaka heard herself say, "Tochiro! What about the Earth? What about all the people we have to protect?? We can't stop Garganstah without you!"

She became aware of a mob of people around her all of a sudden. A disheveled sea of lost souls, some of them with dirt and blood smudged across their faces like ghastly war paint. Some of them looked to be in terrible pain; others glared at Tochiro with anger and contempt. But most of them held an unbearable look of sadness. As if someone or something had shattered whatever hope they had left into a thousand pieces. He was supposed to be a hero, he was supposed to be protecting them from evil beyond their own ability to cope with. What was he doing letting himself be dragged off to some utopia while they suffered in his absence?

And Tochiro's thoughts slowly began to focus as he realized what he was seeing. Two worlds, one of controversy and confusion, but one that counted on people like him to rise to its defense, to protect it despite its faults. It was the world where he had been born and raised.

__

Tochiro...don't look back. Don't let them bring you into this chaos...it's not your concern. Come with me...come with me where you can be safe and free of all this..." Saori said, and before Tochiro the calm, natural world beckoned again. He tried to remember, where he was, what he was doing here, why all those people were looking at him like that.

Once again words came from Miaka's mouth, once again she knew she had not issued them, though they echoed her own thoughts. "Tochiro! Don't you see what's happening?? If one Guardranger gives up we've already lost!" The people behind her looked at him expectantly, but it wasn't a case of "Where the hell are you going and leaving us stranded like this?" this time. Instead, they had looks of desperation. Their only hope for salvation was walking out on them, unaffected by their righteous indignation at it.

But it wasn't that Tochiro was turning his back on mankind. It was just that his thoughts began to clear and questions of morals began to dance through them. He had never agreed with violence and never wanted any part of fighting, there was no doubt about that. But he had been one to leave people to miserable fates either. It just wasn't in him. But Tochiro had never expected to have the fate of the world dropped onto his shoulders…

It was a struggle, Saori pulling him one way, Miaka's words and the looks of the people pulling him the other.

__

Freedom...peace...serenity...a life free of conflict...all of that and more can be yours if you leave this madness behind, Tochiro...Saori's voice resonated with that slightly musical tone he'd fallen in love with, further numbing his will to resist it.

"If you do, it's **over!**" Miaka shouted in outrage and desperation, again with the words of another. "For the people, all the places and things you loved about it--for the entire world! Is **THAT **what you want?!"

"I didn't say I'd go," Tochiro managed to croak, feeling like these contradictory forces were about to pull him apart. He didn't know what to think. Being able to leave fighting behind definitely appealed to his core beliefs, but…all those people were counting on him.

Saori pulled on his arm again, her features taking a suddenly malevolent cast. _Remain here, and death and misery will be the only reality you ever experience again, Tochiro. Only I can save you from this terrible fate. Come with me...Come with me…_

With a sudden twist and jerk, Tochiro pulled himself free from her grip. He would've liked to have had the promise of peace for the rest of his days, but how could he live with himself knowing he'd abandoned everyone to find it? Besides, he'd promised Miaka he wouldn't wimp out of his duty anymore.

"Gomenesai, Saori-chan. Maybe next time." He walked toward Miaka, and the relieved smiles of the people behind her, and as he did the two scenarios began to fade until they were completely gone, and Tochiro and Miaka stood alone, back in the depths of the maze.

"What just happened?" Miaka asked.

"I think," Tochiro said slowly, "that it was one of the big tests we came for."

"Did we pass it?"

"I don't think you have anything to worry about…but I sure hope I did."

At that moment, one of the many strange powers at work in the Proving Grounds washed over them, and they disappeared in a haze of light.

At the same time, Jason and Naoko were also in the maze's lower level, trying to find their friends, or a way out, or anything besides another empty room.

"This is bonkers. We've been walking through this hall for ten minutes. Where the heck's the end of it?" Jason asked.

"I'm as lost as you are," Naoko replied, trying to calm herself despite all the weird things that had happened since they got here. Was she truly that afraid, though? This place was a lot more boring than frightening, with just one room made out of stone after another. It seemed like any other nasty creatures that might be after them had been left in the level above.

No, it wasn't the dangers of the maze, whatever they might be. She was thinking the same thing Jason had just said, about how long this hallway went on. Could it really go on forever? The Proving Grounds were nothing like the world where she lived. How could she be sure that they weren't being sent back to the beginning of this hallway whenever they walked through a certain number of rooms? Had they walked into some kind of monotonous trap?

Naoko stopped walking, listening for the slightest sound that might them if there was anyone else around. The blank walls of stone and the silence apart from their own footsteps were starting to get to her a little. She began to realize that she felt alone, despite Jason being right there. She just didn't know what to do. Naoko wished Ryuji was there with her, he'd be able to get them through this.

Jason was thinking the same thing. He was starting to feel like he was in way over his head. Before the Rangers had always faced whatever came their way as a united front, and usually with firm but supportive leadership from Ryuji, and he'd come to take it for granted. It was just him and Naoko now, without Ryuji or anyone else around to guide them.

Suddenly, that spidery gold writing began to appear on the wall beside them again, spelling out another message. This one didn't seem intended to taunt them, however.

__

Heroes must fly on their own wings.

Then blackness engulfed them.

"What the---**HEY!!!**" Jason yelled, but just as he did the darkness that had been enveloping him a moment ago was receding. He was suddenly aware that he was in his Waterguard uniform, and was standing in downtown Tokyo. But there was something wrong--terribly wrong. The normally bustling city was empty; devoid of all life. No lights lit the streets and a thick fog rolled between the dark alleys. What was going on?

"Daydreaming in battle, Guardranger? Fatal error, to be sure."

Waterguard swerved around in response to the grating voice in his ears. Standing before him was a werewolf-like beast, covered from snout to foot in silver-gray fur, wearing a somewhat archaic-looking chest plate and black gauntlets on his forearms. He opened his mouth to chuckle again, showing rows of wicked-looking teeth within. But that wasn't the sight that unnerved Waterguard.

The other Guardrangers were there, in fighting stances, weapons drawn. But they weren't moving. They were stone still; as if they'd been removed from the flow of time itself. Except for one--Fireguard, who was lying facedown, still and lifeless at the werewolf's feet, thin wisps of smoke trailing out from under his stomach.

Waterguard felt rage swell up from the pit of his gut. "You--"

"Calm down, boy. He's not dead yet. I just thought I'd do you the courtesy of letting you watch him die before I started on the rest of you," the monster said, then suddenly charged, slavering jaws opened wide. In an instant the Orca Brand was in Waterguard's hand, but before he could even think about using it, the monster was right on top of him!

"Jason? Are you there? Hello?" Naoko called out. Everything around her was a expanse of pitch black, but it was clearing quickly. She found herself on a windswept cliff, with a sea of gray cloud cover surging along below. The air seemed slightly thin. Jason vanished from sight as her surroundings took shape. She turned around slowly, taking a moment to collect herself and apply some logic to the situation she'd just been thrown into. But then, being instantaneously transported to some strange place from another place that was already strange enough on its own didn't exactly adhere to what was logical and what wasn't.

"Naoko…help me…" a faint voice cracked. She turned toward where it had come from, and there was Ryuji, battered, bruised and bound by a dozen chains to a triangular rock. Blood flowed freely from a dozen slashes across his face and his shirt was a tattered ruin of fabric and wet crimson.

"Kami-sama...Ryuji!" she called over the rushing wind, but Ryuji only groaned. He looked barely conscious. She started toward him, then stopped short.

Between the two of them was a deep and wide crevasse, too wide for her to even think about jumping. Clouds rolled within it so that Naoko couldn't see the bottom, even with the fierce winds blowing around them. Small pebbles were blown into the depths of the crevasse by the winds. But suddenly they began to pick up, and the wind howled past her ears like some angry demon, blasting through her thin black slacks and against her ears.

But it also began to push the rock Ryuji was tied to toward the crevasse. It was too heavy to roll or fall over even because of that kind of wind, but not big enough where it would stop from moving at all. Ryuji said something, and although Naoko could barely hear him over the wind, she was pretty sure that it had been "help."

Waterguard cried out as the monster's jaws closed like a tooth-covered vice around his torso. He tried to turn a blind eye to the pain and switch to the Orca Brand's trident mode, but the monster swung its jaws and let go, sending him flying down the street where he skidded to a agonizing, spark-filled halt.

"Pitiful," the creature snorted with derision. "All that's standing between your friends and the grave is you, and you're barely even trying."

Waterguard pulled himself up with effort. Just as he did, the monster reared back and pounced, nearly crushing his ribs. He coughed violently, as if his lungs had just been shoved through a grain thresher. The thing was strong--unbelievably so. And it wasn't helping his peace of mind that he was up against it all by himself, but with a heroic effort he smashed his Shock Knuckles into the side of the monster. The beast shrieked in outrage and scrambled off Waterguard in a hurry.

The effort, however, proved to be fruitless, because in a heartbeat the monster was back on his feet, and chortled with spite. As Waterguard watched in horror, the gaping wound in the beast's side sealed itself and disappeared, as if it had never been there.

"Absolutely pitiful. You could have the power to bring the entire ocean down on my head, but it means_ nothing_ if you've haven't the inner strength to use it. And it's painfully clear that you're still floundering in your own doubts."

Waterguard's gaze drifted to his teammates, still frozen to the spot except Fireguard, who was still lying as if dead in the middle of the city street. Desperation was starting to tug at his thoughts. _What am I gonna do???_

Ironically enough, that same question was on Naoko's mind as well.

She was nothing less than amazed that somehow she hadn't been blasted off the cliff like a scrap of paper in the maelstrom that roared and shrieked around her and was threatening to send her leader plunging into the great beyond.

But she couldn't wonder about that now, she had to think of what to do to save him! But she couldn't jump the gap, and she couldn't do anything about the wind, especially as a mere mortal like she was. There was no sign of the others, so it was entirely up to her.

Ryuji called out, barely audible over the rushing wind. How she could hear him at all she wasn't sure either, but now was not the time for such questions. "Naoko... please...you've gotta hurry... I can't feel anything…"

"Kami-sama, you certainly don't ask for much, do you? I can't even _think_ about jumping across, and I'm powerless on top of it! What am I supposed to do?!"

"What good are your powers anyway if you don't have the courage and the focus to handle things by yourself when you get in trouble?" Ryuji called back, a sharpness to his voice she hadn't heard since they stopped arguing.

For a moment that seemed to stretch into an eternity, Naoko hesitated. What he just said had been a bit harsh, but wasn't it true? No matter how tough she talked, no matter how many times she said they had to be serious about being Guardrangers, there had to be genuine conviction and self-confidence behind those words. She could have all the power in the universe at her command, and what good would it do her if she couldn't concentrate and make the most effective use of it on her own? They were a team for many reasons, but they had to be brave and able to stand on their own, too.

And unless she managed to develop those traits in the next couple of seconds, Ryuji wouldn't live long enough to see that moment come to pass.

The taskmaster gazed intently at the screen in the wall. It was split down the middle, showing Waterguard struggling against the wolf monster on the right, with Naoko standing on a cliff while Ryuji was about to be pushed to his doom by maelstrom winds on the left.

Or a reasonable facsimile of Ryuji, anyway. Because there he was, next to the taskmaster watching the dual spectacles unfold. He wanted to find some way to help his teammates, to deliver them from the mental tortures the taskmaster was subjecting them to, but something stopped him.

As if reading Ryuji's mind, the taskmaster said, "Something bothering you, honored guest?"

"I want to help them, but--"

"But you can't," the taskmaster finished for him, "Even if you could, you'd only be stunting their growth."

"I know. They have to be able to take care of themselves and not just depend on me the whole time. Somebody told me that recently…"

"I make a point of it because it's a lesson you should learn as well, Fireguard. Do not let your friends depend on you too deeply, but at the same time do not underestimate their need for their leader and for support when they require it," the taskmaster said casually but firmly. "Your friends aren't the only ones with something to learn here." And with that they watched the events unfold…

__

I don't fuggin' **believe **this!

Waterguard was fighting on--or at least trying to. But unfortunately, it wasn't going the way it should. And, naturally, getting schooled and lectured by a monster who was trying to kill him wasn't helping, either. He jabbed and swung again and again at the thing with his Orca Brand, but even when he connected, the wounds just closed up in the blink of an eye. How could anyone possibly beat such an enemy?

How could _he_ beat it? That was the million dollar question, all right. After all, it was all up to him. In his mind he could almost hear the screams and smell the fear of people fleeing some kind of inhuman horror that only the Guardrangers could stop. Probably the very monster trying to tear him apart now.

"Still distracted, are you? Can't keep your mind on the fight?" the beast goaded, mocking Waterguard's blows as if they were no more threatening than the sting of a gnat, as well as his distracted behavior. Fighting and thinking at the same time were tough, especially for someone unsure of his role like Waterguard.

Waterguard flipped acrobatically away from one of the monster's flailing claws and landed atop a nearby wall. He had to get himself together and face this thing, he was the only one left to fight it! But how could he, when he couldn't find the resolve to bring his full power to bear? This was all much heavier than he'd expected when he agreed to slap on the bracelet.

"Perhaps THIS will give you some solid motivation!" the monster called all of a sudden. Waterguard looked down, and saw that in one paw, the thing has snatched Fireguard's motionless body up off of the street, the long claws of its other extending fully, the tips gliding just a half-inch away from his best friend's heart. "You've ten seconds to get down here and save your friend...otherwise I'm going to feast on his raw, beating heart, and then deal with the others while you watch…"

It was now or never. Maybe it was because of his desperation to save his comrades, perhaps it was the fact that the death and destruction the Guardrangers were dedicated to preventing was threatening to strike so close to home that made him realize how large his part was in this. Or maybe it was just the sight of his best friend inches away from death--he didn't know, really. Maybe it was all of those reasons put together. But whatever it was, Waterguard stood up proud and strong. Lives were in his hands. Not just the other Guardrangers, but everyone on Earth. He wouldn't let them down.

He jumped high into the air and, yelling at the top of his lungs, plummeted toward the monster with the Orca Brand pointed at the monster's heart like an avenging arrow.

Naoko tried to steel herself as the wind seemed to whirl past even faster. Ryuji and the rock he was bound to inched toward the crevasse slowly but frighteningly.

__

Naoko...**do**_ something!_ she cursed herself as she tried to think of what to do. _He'll die in a minute without your help!_

An onslaught of thoughts thundered through her mind. Was she so worried about Ryuji because if she didn't act the team would lose their leader, or was it something else? How exactly had her perception of him changed since they stopped fighting with each other? How had _his_ perception of _her_ changed since they stopped fighting with each other? So many question, but no answers. One thing was clear, and that was his fate was in her hands. This was no time to be afraid or weak-willed. Ryuji had saved them before, Now she had to return the favor.

Naoko shoved everything else away, and called out, "Ryuji, stay calm! I'm coming over there!" even though she had no idea why he should be calm, seeing as how he was on an inexorable slide towards certain doom. But suddenly she felt a strange feeling coming over her, a power rising within. She _could_ do it, and she would.

The rock crept closer to the edge, but now she had the courage to save her leader…

The wolf-monster stared in wordless shock at the sight before his inhuman eyes. The change in the Ranger in blue's demeanor had completely changed in the blink of an eye, and he was nowhere near prepared for it. His grip on his captive loosened as Waterguard screamed down like a meteor and drove the Orca Brand into the monster's chest. Before the thing could even think about retaliation, Waterguard squeezed the button that sent a shockwave of neon-blue electricity into his foe and launched him into the side of a parked car, caving in the side of it. 

The beast's wounds were already closing up as Waterguard charged forward to press the attack.

"Just wanted to say, thanks for the little speeches, Wolfenstien. Did me a world of good," Waterguard drawled, his humor beginning to resurface. Before the wolfman could do anything to retaliate, Waterguard did the unexpected and sent the Orca Brand back to its resting place in a swirl of sapphire light, and began concentrating, his hands beginning to fill with water vapor. An aura of blue surrounded his body, droplets of water gathering around his clenched fists. A whole new hero was facing this monster now. A point proven further when Waterguard beckoned to the beast, issuing a silent dare to attack now.

The wolfman growled deep in its throat and sprang toward Waterguard, its powerful back legs propelling it toward him, but the hero aimed his open hands downward, a waterspout erupted beneath him that launched him into the air and out of its reach. Mustering his power again, the waterspout spread and widened into a tidal wave that he rode down, washing the monster off his feet. 

Before the monster could recover, Waterguard raised his hands over his head, a blinding white sphere igniting to life in palms and his voice took on an unearthly tone and rang out down the length of the street.

****

"ABSOULUTE ZERO!" Waterguard fired the sphere of white out of his hands and it slammed into the water the beast was still flailing in, the freezing effect practically instantaneous. The monster's body was already saturated with the water from the last attack and the frigid blast was rapidly covering him in a sheath of ice, rendering him completely immobile.

"RRRRAAAAAAARRRGHH! Damn you, Ranger!" The wolfman roared in outrage.

"Funny, thought you _wanted _me to get my head together and fight back," Waterguard said, but the only reply the monster could manage was a infuriated sputter. "Well, I'm not done yet. Here comes the finish, Dog-boy!"

Waterguard brought his hands to his left side, clenched and palms facing each other. The air around him turned silver and white as he concentrated another field of intense cold in his hands. But this one was different. This one would end the fight in a matter of seconds.

"Say goodbye, ugly!" Waterguard yelled, bringing his arms behind his head like a major league slugger, the white energy forming into a blade-like object.

"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" The wolf's screams of denial and fear ripped the air apart, but were quickly lost the words that thundered from Waterguard's mouth.

****

"ICE BLADE...AVALANCHE!" Waterguard lifted his arms to the sky, the white beam-blade lancing upward and throbbing with light and power. Then he brought it down in a blinding blast of white. The instant it made contact with the saturated ground, a colossal flow of blue ice, razor-sharp tips lancing out like a battery of spears exploded forth from the ground with tremendous speed and slammed into the werewolf head on, piercing and freezing him at the same time. Whatever screams of pain or curses of protest the thing might've have said in his last moments were lost in the wave of icy chaos. And when it finally ceased, the creature was locked inside the ice flow...frozen and lifeless. With a thunderous noise the ice exploded into a million pieces, as it did its lupine captive.

It took a moment for the reality of victory to set in. But when it did, Waterguard finally gave in to temptation. "Chill out, dude." Who said he couldn't make jokes while he was being serious about saving the world?

Suddenly he snapped back to reality. The others--he'd just remembered! Waterguard was just about to go check on them when a warm hand squeezed his shoulder from behind. He turned and Fireguard was there, and not even a mark on him to even suggest he'd been hurt earlier. The other Rangers stood several feet away, no longer immobile.

Fireguard squeezed his friend harder. "Way to go, man. I knew you could handle yourself without me."

Waterguard grinned with relief. But just as he was about to deliver a high-five to his best friend, the world around him shifted and flung him away into the dark.

Naoko brought her fingertips to both sides of her head and began to concentrate, focusing on the elemental power within her. She had been told that the Proving Grounds would block her powers until all the Guardrangers had the full strength of their confidence in themselves and fought with one heart, but nothing seemed to be stopping her now as she bent the laws of nature to her whim.

The reach of her mind expanded as she pushed further, sensing the power running through the earth. The boulder was somehow beyond her power to affect directly. So she'd have to attack the problem another way. Her eyes suddenly flared bright yellow and before the boulder Ryuji was tied to could move any further toward the drop, broad stone spikes shot out of the earth and dug into the boulder's sides. The rock Ryuji was tied to was anchored by them now, but its forward motion had only slowed, and not stopped. The winds howled even more ferociously in response, as if action on some unseen cue, still trying to push Ryuji into oblivion, but Naoko kept it up, and the spikes extended further, lancing into the boulder, finally stopping its slide toward the edge of the cliff, holding her leader safely in place. Finally, the wind faded altogether.

"Naoko…" Ryuji choked the words out, but there was a smile on his face. "Great job."

"I'll be right over!" Naoko called out, exercising her power again. A small ledge appeared on either side of the crevasse, then they began to extend until they met in the middle and formed a bridge over the depths. Naoko crossed over it and began to work the chains off Ryuji.

"I knew you'd do it," Ryuji said, his smile still on his face. "You were always the most serious about this."

"Hush. You can heap praises on me after I get these chains off," she said in return. But inside she smiled. The praise from him was welcome indeed. Suddenly a strange feeling came over her, like when she and Jason had been seized up and deposited in the maze.

"Nan desu ka? Ryuji, what's going on?"

"Don't worry about it, Naoko. You're just being sent to meet the others," Ryuji said calmly. Then everything went black.

When Naoko's world returned, she found herself in a stony room remarkably like the one she and Jason had been in before she had been snatched up and sent to save Ryuji's life. Only now they weren't the only ones there. Tochiro, Miaka, Jason, Ryuji--not a blemish on him, but arms and legs in chains--were all in the room as well. There was also a man with blue skin, long blonde hair and what she assumed was a pleased smile on his face. Power and a feeling of being something beyond human seemed to radiate from him.

"Well...fancy meeting all of you here. And this would be...?" she asked.

"Apparently we've met our host," Tochiro replied, gesturing at the blue-skinned man, who nodded.

"Yes, and a pleasure it is to meet you all," the taskmaster said, affecting an unearthly air. "You gave me a most impressive session indeed."  
"All right, clearly there's an explanation pending here...I was just trying to save Ryuji from falling over a cliff, and--"  
"It was an illusion, Naoko," Ryuji interjected. "He's been reading everyone's mind and trying to get you all to buck up and accept what's expected of us."

Naoko stared at him. "How did you know that?"

"I've been here with him the whole time," Ryuji replied, holding up the manacles on his wrists for her to inspect. "He said you guys had to learn to take care of yourselves and I'd just get in the way if I was around, so I've been here watching you jump through his little hoops."

The taskmaster laughed, and all at once the inhuman otherness about him evaporated. "I wish there were more would-be heroes who needed a nudge in the right direction like you. I miss the company, but I especially miss the way you hero-types talk. Jumping through my little hoops, indeed." He walked from the Guardrangers and over to a narrow alcove in the wall from which he withdrew a long, ancient-looking scroll. "But it's true. That's the problem with some heroes. Without their leader directing their every move and providing all their moral support, they fall apart. What's the point of a team if only one member is keeping the rest afloat? You performed magnificently on your own in the tests I ascribed you."

"So...you're saying we don't have to worry about that anymore?" Tochiro asked, a little apprehensively. It almost sounded like it wasn't over yet despite overcoming the taskmaster's test.

"Yes and no. Thanks to the bump I gave you, you found the confidence to be able take care of yourselves, however you must trust in yourselves enough do the rest," the taskmaster replied. With a wave of his hand Ryuji's chains disappeared and into his hands the taskmaster placed the scroll before going on. "So far you've conquered your enemies with strength, good luck and the element of surprise, but you'll need far more than those to deal with what still awaits you.

"You see, a hero's ability to make full use of the power they wield is like a building in certain aspects. Confidence in themselves and conviction to their cause they serve are the foundations. Remove them and the rest of it crumbles. But to be truly strong, you must build on those foundations with the knowledge and wisdom you gain from your experiences. You must learn to fight as one as you learned to fight on your own toady. Then you will unlock the full scope of the power available to you."

"Sounds heavy, bro," Jason said with a convincing nonchalance. The taskmaster suddenly whirled toward him and fixed Jason with a peculiar gaze and almost-smirk, as if he'd just heard the stupidest joke in his life but was about to break into howls of laughter anyway, which he did.

It was a strange feeling to see him cracking up like this to the Guardrangers. Like Ryuji, each had expected to find some kind of evil puppet master working against them as they searched the Proving Grounds for the secrets of greater power. But every time the taskmaster opened his mouth, whether to talk or to laugh, he seemed more and more insightful, honest and _normal_ to them all.

" 'Heavy, bro'? Gods above, have I been here _that _long? Do people really talk like that now?"

"Yeah. Guys like Jase keep it alive," Ryuji answered, grinning over at Jason.

"Heavy indeed," the taskmaster said. "But none of you honestly expected being a hero to be easy, did you?"

"I definitely didn't," Tochiro replied, "But for some reason I took the job anyway, and I'm not about to back out now."

"You are a credit to your profession," the taskmaster said with a smile. "The path of the hero is not easily walked. Many before you have learned that the hard way."

A thought struck Miaka. "That statue we saw of the other Rangers…did they have to come here too?"

"Them? No, child. Those statues take on forms recognizable as heroes to those here to be tested. If you were someone else, it would look like someone else. The inscription, however, remains constant regardless, since the meaning of true heroism is the same no matter what."

"And the inscription we saw?" Naoko asked, though she had her suspicions.

"You'll see that for yourself if you remember your lessons, my dear…All of you, read the scroll Fireguard is holding. If you remember what you learned here, you will be able to make use of the secrets of it when the time is right."

Ryuji obeyed, unrolling the scroll as the rest of the team gathered around to look. The ancient paper was blank, but as they looked at it images of a massive cannon-like weapon and a giant warrior with wings burned into their minds.

"Are you gonna be okay, waiting for someone else to come along all by yourself?" Ryuji asked. Despite having been chained up and forced to watch his friends suffer through the taskmaster's trials, he'd come to appreciate the Taskmaster's wisdom.

The taskmaster smiled again. "I admit, it's something of a lonely task at times, but it is my destiny, after all. And there's nothing more I can give you, so it is time for you to face your final test..."

"Yeah, it is," Ryuji nodded. "Arigato." he bowed to the Taskmaster.

"Fare thee well , Guardrangers." And with a wave of his hand, they were gone. But not before Jason delivered a parting shot.

"Later, dude!"

The Taskmaster chuckled at the slang. "Ah, mortals. What an endlessly entertaining lot."

Sharaki sat in the barracks his men used, leaning against the wall as he waited for the call to resume the attack to come. Several of his soldiers, including Rodim, were engaged in a game from one of their worlds like dice a little ways away. None of them looked to be sharing Sharaki's worries about what would become of them once the Earth was under Garganstah's control. Even though they too had given their lives over to waging war.

Rodim cackled and pulled a stack of alien currency toward him as the others in the game groaned. Luck seemed to be with him as he and his comrades played, as it had been during his battle with the Guardrangers. Sharaki still wasn't convinced they were as dangerous as Brannoch claimed. Or even if they were, they had certainly gotten rusty since the last time they and Garganstah had clashed.

The Baron looked down at his prized two-handed sword. When would he pit it and himself against the Guardrangers again, and could he expect anything more than a repeat of their last skirmish?

Before he realized anything was happening, a strange premonition of sorts entered Sharaki's mind. He sensed something arriving on Earth…five somethings…He stood up.

__

Hmmmm…I wonder… Sharaki straightened to his full, towering height. "Rodim, go round up some Silicons. Tell Emperor Brannoch that we're going to Earth."

The world suddenly reappeared to the Rangers, and when it did it was finally a world they recognized. People hurried this way and that on their way to some place or another, the sun glinted off the glass sides of skyscrapers around them, and the scent of smog was heavy in the air. They stood on the edge of a city plaza and Tokyo sprawled around them.

"Weird…" Jason said, "That guy said we were gonna face a last test, didn't he? So how come he sent us back home if we are?"

"If we really _are_ hone, that is," Tochiro replied, a little wary of the world around him after the last few hours' events. As if in answer to his query, three flares of light suddenly appeared in the sky and rocketed toward the ground. People saw them and fled any way they could, and a smart move it was, for the when the lights touched the ground they exploded into different shapes. One into Sharaki, one into Rodim, and the last into a group of Silicons. Sharaki began to look around, oblivious to the civilians running away from him and his detachment, as if looking for a sign of enemies lying in ambush. The Silicons fanned out and began to scout the area as well. The Rangers crouched behind some trees. There was no doubt what the intruders were looking for.

"I guess this is the last test," Miaka whispered. None of them were surprised.

Ryuji steeled himself. The vermilion glow from his Guardbrace had returned. He looked back at his teammates, who wore expressions of determination. They had learned to stick up for themselves, but the question remained was…could they do so as a team now?

Sharaki called out, "Guardrangers, I know you're there! Come out and face me, or do you remember the events of our last battle a little too clearly?"

They could do this. Ryuji could see it in their eyes. He shouted, **"FIRE…FOCUS!"** Power rewarded his call, exploding from his bracelet and swathing him in his crimson uniform and the dragon helmet. The others called out to their elements as well, and before the warriors of Garganstah could scarcely turn around, five brightly-clad figures were shooting through the air into their midst, then flipping back out and falling into a line on the other side of the plaza. The Guardrangers had returned.

But as each went into a fighting stance, something seemed different. None shook uncertainly, no voices had quavered. The Silicons slunk back a step.

"Yeah, we remember…!" Fireguard retorted.

Their voices sounded one by one:

"Soldier of the Inferno! FIREGUARD!"

"Soldier of Stone! EARTHGUARD!"

"Soldier of the Ocean! WATERGUARD!"

"Soldier of Wood!" FORESTGUARD!"

"Soldier of the Wind!" AIRGUARD!"

Then together: "ETERNAL SENTAI! GUARDRANGER!" Their words were strong, their composure unafraid. At a glance it could be told that these were not the jokes of warriors who had fought the soldiers of Garganstah the day before.

Sharaki brandished his sword, unable to hide a smirk of satisfaction. "At last...foes _worthy _of the challenge! Come then, Rangers, show me your might!" he called. Aboard the Garganstah ship, Brannoch and his assembled nobles watched the proceedings in the aristocrats' private gallery. Even the workers and other lower class citizens gathered around screens to watch. The Emperor barely hid a smile.

"I've waited too long to see them cut down…"

Devora took his hand. "Patience will reward you today, beloved."

Rodim had seen enough. "Attack!" And so it began.

The Silicons dashed forward, weapons at the ready, and the Guardrangers spread out to meet and blunt the charge. Fireguard threw a vicious chop that sliced one down the middle, then with a spinning kick knocked over three more. Airguard took flight, firing a volley of Borean Bursts into a group of Silicons, reducing them to metal shavings in a riotous burst of force.

The others had visibly improved, thanks to their experiences. Beating back Garganstah was all in their hands, after all, they couldn't afford to be afraid of their enemy. Waterguard bounded and flipped around his enemies with an inhuman ease. He leaped out of the way as two Silicons charged him and crashed into each other, and as he rolled forward after hitting the ground from his jump another two Silicons bashed their heads together trying to catch him. He didn't even bother to hold in his laughter as the Silicons slammed together and fell down.

Earthguard was more serious as she slashed away at the metal minions with her Eternablade. She cleaved her way through their ranks with blinding accuracy, shattering their weapons like crystal with one stroke, and disemboweling them with the next.

Even Forestguard was finally fighting back, even though his feelings toward fighting prevented him from using unnecessary force. A Silicon's sword struck sparks against his chest and knocked him against the wall of a building, and another sword delivered a solid blow, but Forestguard didn't let himself go down. If anything the pain just made him angrier and more determined to prove himself.. Another Silicon charged at him, sword in hand, but as the blade fell toward Forestguard, he suddenly grabbed the Silicon that had just slashed him and shoved it into the path of the incoming blade instead. The unlucky soldier was cut cleanly in two. Before the sword-wielding Silicon could attack again, Forestguard energized his Shock Knuckles and struck an explosive blow that stopped the Silicon right in his tracks.

Rodim was watching the battle in near-terror while Sharaki observed the proceedings with the deepest of satisfaction. Yesterday those three had nearly been beaten by a group of mere Silicons, but now were easily holding their own, and not even using the strongest of their weapons or powers.

"This doesn't make sense! How did they get so strong so blasted fast?!" Rodim asked.

"An interesting question," Sharaki replied, "but I'm certainly glad that they did…"

"I'll take care of them," Rodim growled, then began wading through the gaggle of Silicons to get closer to the Rangers. Sharaki surveyed the battle, and his eye locked onto Earthguard, effortlessly holding her own against ten Silicons. Her attacks were quick and brutal, showing a fearlessness that hadn't been there the day before.

Sharaki hoisted his sword. He looked upon what might have been his last great battle. How better to spend it than by seeing just how strong these legendary Guardrangers could be? He advanced through the chaos of battle toward Earthguard.

Realizing that their enemies were more fearsome than they'd thought, the Silicons started attacking more heavily. Fireguard whisked his Eternablade out of its scabbard and began hacking away. One Silicon fell, then another. Even Garganstah's goon squad was tougher than Armag's, but they couldn't stand up to a Guardranger who'd found their way.

But Rodim, who Fireguard could see bearing down on him with his Eternablade at the ready, was another story. The warrior wasted no words with Fireguard, firing a blast of dark power from his outstretched hands at the hero. Fireguard somersaulted out of the way and the blast only took out a few Silicons he had been fighting.

"You gave me quite a fight yesterday," Rodim said coolly.

"I'll give you another one now, tough guy."

Rodim chuckled with anticipation. "I ought to warn you…I've gotten stronger since last time too." Then he shouted in rage, the numerous black gems set into his armor firing blast after blast of dark power. Fireguard jumped and dodged repeatedly, but the blasts kept coming, and a dozen slammed into his body one after another. He grunted in pain and crumpled to the ground, his uniform smoking where he'd been hit. Fireguard hastily put away his Eternablade and called for the Dragon Steel, which appeared in his hand in a plume of flame, but after that pummeling he didn't feel up to using it just then.

"That's all you have, eh? Pity."

"Trust me…I haven't even started yet." His strength was returning, but slowly, and it was with an effort that Fireguard got up and brandished his weapon. He wouldn't mind some help against this monster, but the others were fighting their own battles, did he dare to distract them with a call for help? Rodim closed in for the kill, but suddenly something exploded at his feet and drove him back a step.

"Need a hand, boss?" Airguard asked, alighting beside him.

"Like I'd actually turn it down," Fireguard drawled.

Rodim growled and charged, but before he could get close enough to do any harm, something wrapped around his waist and flung him against a wall. It was Forestguard, wielding the Gorilla Vine.

"You're welcome," he said, imagining the gaping mouths behind his friends' helmets.

"Arigato, man. I'm just surprised it's you."

"What can I say? I'm sick of feeling like the weak link on this team. I've got the guts to believe in myself now, so I'm gonna use them."

"Fair enough. Then let's see what you learned today," Fireguard said, punching his shoulder. Ever since Rodim had beaten them before he had been wary of Tochiro, but he sounded like he meant it. As Rodim got up and charged his powers, Fireguard knew they'd see.

Earthguard sliced a Silicon in two with another swipe of her Eternablade. Waterguard called up the Absolute Zero attack he had used against the wolf monster in his test and froze a whole gang of Silicons hurling themselves at him. They exploded into harmless bits of frost. One could certainly tell the difference from yesterday.

"WHOO! Man, I'm LOVIN' this!" Waterguard cheered as the frost bounced off his uniform.

"Would you _please _act serious!" Earthguard shouted from the side. We're not on a school field trip!" 

"Man, nag, nag, nag…you sound like my mom!" Waterguard muttered. Through the rapidly-thinning Silicons, they spotted Sharaki coming their way with his sword drawn. Instantly they armed themselves with their special weapons, but the Baron didn't attack. The Silicons stood aside upon noticing their leader had come to join the fight.

"A magnificent display, Rangers. I could swear you aren't the bumbling incompetents we faced yesterday."

"Yes, well… that's the thing with people like us--we become whatever we need to be to stop warmongers like you!" Earthguard retorted.

Sharaki chuckled and gripped his sword. "Then let us see what you've become, 'heroes'." He was just like them; a being who embodied power, confidence and fearlessness as he went into a sword fighter's stance. Water and Earthguard leaped to the attack.

Rodim flung his arms to his sides and a pair of gigantic clawed hands of ebony energy rose from the ground in front of the Guardrangers. They reached out to grab Fireguard, but he jumped to one side and one dug harmlessly into the street, then jumped to evade the other. The first hand rose up to strike again, but with a terrific crack Forestguard's Gorilla Vine _whizzed_ through the air, struck the hand and shattered it. The other reared back and lunged at Forestguard, but suddenly an arrow flew from Airguard's bow, hitting the hand, which exploded a second later.

"Come on, guys!" Fireguard barked to his teammates. As one they vaulted off the ground toward Rodim, weapons at the ready. Fireguard's sword swiftly descended toward the monster's head, and with a curse in an alien tongue Rodim hastily generated bubble of dark power around himself that the Dragon Steel bounced off of without even leaving a mark.

Rodim was about to let out a victorious cackle, but Airguard suddenly fired another arrow, Forestguard launched his whip, and the two made contact at the same instant, at the same place on the bubble, which quickly crumbled. Rodim didn't waste a second and exercised his power over darkness once again. "See what you think of _this, _Rangers!" Before the Rangers could stop him he pointed his hands at them and a wave of blackness swept over them, engulfing everything around them in a dome of black energy. They stood in a lightless, featureless void.

"Nani? What's going on?" Airguard asked, barely able to see her teammates.

"I don't know, but stay loose…I get the feeling we're gonna get jumped any second…"

"Truer words were never spoken, Ranger!" Rodim's voice snarled from all directions at once. "Try a taste of the full force of my power!" Suddenly something they couldn't see flew out of the darkness, raked Fireguard across the chest and knocked him down, then flew back into the void. Then without warning it flew out and lashed Airguard across the side before retreating again. Rodim's laughter echoed out, growing deeper and louder, then again, and again, until it had reached a deafening roar.

The Rangers tried to cover their ears but it did little good. Fire and Airguard tried to struggle to get up, but somehow the thunderous laughter seemed to be keeping them from mustering the strength to do it. Forestguard was the only one still standing, the only one who could still defend himself. At any moment another one of those blows would come and knock him down, and then what?

All of a sudden a black hand lashed out and slashed five steel-hard claws across Forestguard's chest. He shouted in pain, stumbled back as the hand vanished, but wouldn't, couldn't let himself go down. Another hand flew out of the darkness and gashed Forestguard from behind. Again he screamed, and though the pain was overwhelming he managed to find the resolve to stay on his feet.

__

Fireguard, what do I do?? Forestguard desperately sent to his allies, knowing his own voice would be lost amidst the laughter. He was getting those I'm-not-ready-for-this jitters again.

__

Try to shut out the noise and feel the next attack coming! Fireguard returned. They'd just started to come together, how could they face themselves if they started to come apart now?

__

How can I? It's so loud it feels like it's chewing on my bones!

Hey, you want to redeem yourself for the last fight? This is your chance! C'mon, man, you can do this!

Okay, I'll try. Forestguard tried to shut out his senses, to go deep inside himself like when he communicated with plant life. It wasn't quite the same thing now, but the ear-shattering laugh began to quiet and fade, and though he could see almost nothing of his surroundings, if indeed there still were any, he could _feel_ what was around him. And he felt a presence that meant him harm, incoming…from his right!

At once Forestguard cocked back his arm and let the Gorilla Vine fly. It zipped into the darkness, and Forestguard's effort was rewarded with a satisfying crack, a scream of pain, and the sudden ceasing of the deafening laughter.

Everything was quiet as Fire and Airguard were finally able to get up, but the darkness remained. "You did it!" Airguard cheered.

"Not yet," Fireguard interrupted, "He's still there. Be ready, people."

He was right, they could each feel Rodim lurking somewhere, waiting to strike. As suddenly as always another attack came hurtling out of nowhere, but not a slashing hand this time. Instead, a flurry of ebony spears rocketed toward Airguard, and before she could dodge they hit, grazing Airguard viciously and striking sparks against her suit before vanishing into the darkness whence they came. But then another volley came, gashing her repeatedly, and then another…

Fireguard was trying to figure out where to direct his attack when the ground at his feet began to bubble and sprouted a mass of dragon heads on long necks. One lunged, and with a scything cut he severed head from neck, but it immediately grew back, and one of the heads smashed into him from behind, driving the Soldier of the Inferno to his knees. Brannoch laughed as he watched, and a cheer went up through the aristocrats' gallery.

Rodim laughed. "What a sad spectacle this is! You seemed so formidable…yet you can't even stand up to a little darkness!"

Forestguard, meanwhile, tried to focus all of his senses into finding Rodim. He wanted to run and help his friends, but he knew he'd be helping them more by finding the source of the danger and stopping it. He concentrated, trying to sense even more deeply than before. Not for the constructs Rodim threw at them, but for the source of the problem. He sensed an overpowering aura of menace, but high above he sensed a small chink in that aura. He swung his Gorilla Vine upwards, toward where he sensed the imperfection, and a shattering sound was the reply of his attack. He had punched a small hole in the darkness, and sunlight poured through. Rodim's voice hissed in pain and Forestguard could feel the darkness weaken slightly.

"Hold it, Ranger! One more move and your friends die!" Rodim shouted from somewhere. Airguard, injured and on her knees, was trapped in a cage of spears, and each of Fireguard's limbs was gripped fiercely between the teeth of the one of the shadowy dragons. An assortment of nasty-looking pole arms appeared and hovered above Airguard, and the dragons dug their teeth into Fireguard.

But Forestguard didn't hold it. He could tell Rodim was forcing the hole to close up, and he was afraid if he gave Rodim the chance to finish regrouping he wouldn't be able to find it again. It had weakened the darkness briefly when the light invaded, this was probably their only chance. With his free hand Forestguard pulled his Eternablade, and launched himself into the air toward the gap in the blackness. "Catch me if you can!" he shouted as he rocketed upward.

Rodim panicked and suddenly the entire area seemed to come to life. "I'll do more than catch you, Ranger! I'll chew the skin of your bones myself!" Screaming gargoyles and winged goblins clutching knives sprang out of the darkness and flew after Forestguard. Huge tentacles lashed out at him. Gigantic mouths appeared to try to swallow him whole, but Forestguard's sword saw to them. Finally his leap carried him to the break in the darkness, almost entirely closed up. But with an echoing cry and his Eternablade throbbing with elemental power, Forestguard thrust the blade into the breach and created a burst of ferocious light.

The beasts that had been chasing Forestguard screamed and disintegrated. The veil of blackness that had been surrounding them collapsed and Tokyo reappeared. Fire and Airguard stood up, freed from the perils Rodim had sent against them with the destruction of the dark field.

Rodim cried out in disbelief, looking around at the area his power had been covering only a second ago. A mighty slash from a sword knocked him down and gave him something else to worry about. It was Fireguard, brandishing the Dragon Steel, with the others right beside him.

"This…ends…**now**."

The other Rangers were locked in battle with Sharaki. His giant sword swung toward Earthguard but she managed to parry with a swing from one of her Grizzly Claws. Waterguard attacked from behind, the prongs of his Orca Brand crackling with electricity as he thrust it at Sharaki's side. The Baron was quick, though, and with lightning speed his sword shot out and blocked the trident before it could make contact. The crackling energy traveled through his sword and into Sharaki, and though the Baron clenched his teeth in pain, he suddenly flicked his sword up, catching the bottom of the Orca Brand and flipping Waterguard, who held onto the weapon, over his head.

Earthguard bravely attacked again. She swung her claws at Sharaki and drove twin slashes across his chest plate, but he just grimaced.

"You've improved, Guardrangers. But you've troubled Garganstah for long enough…" Sharaki said. Earthguard swung her claws at him again, not even thinking about backing down this time, but he turned her blows aside effortlessly with his sword and then dealt one of his own that sent her spinning away to land in a heap.

****

"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!" Sharaki whirled toward where the sound of the cry, where Waterguard stood, brandishing his battlerod, this time a determined figure of great power. Energy was accumulating at the tip of its blaster end, then erupted outward in a spiraling surge of watery power that swept over Sharaki. Waterguard poured on the power and Sharaki was pushed back, but with a yell he sank his sword into the ground and gripped it fiercely to stay in place. Waterguard's attack had grabbed Sharaki's attention, though, and so he was taken completely by surprise when a yellow-clad figure came flying at him from his left.

It was Earthguard, who came at him claws swinging. Waterguard's whirlpool died off so that he didn't catch her in it too, but Earthguard attacked ferociously. Sharaki couldn't even free his sword before Earthguard hit him with three vicious claw-swipes and knocked him away from it. He hurled fireballs that exploded as they hit the ground around Earthguard, but she came leaping through them without a hint of hesitation. She summoned her power as she came down, and called out **"SEISMIC FORCE!"** as she hit the ground with both feet. The earth shook and Sharaki lost his balance and fell on his back. Before he could recover, she administered the coup de grace.

****

"PETRA… " A haze of white fog flowed out of her outstretched hands and a membrane of stone swiftly wove itself around Sharaki's body, covering him completely. In the next second, she shouted, "**CROSS SLASH!"**, and cleaved a burning red "X" into the stone cocoon, causing it to tremor violently and then explode in a violent wave of force.

Sharaki's bellow of agony cut the air for an instant, and when the flash of the blast cleared, he lay on the ground, still as a statue. Earthguard knelt down and touched her fingers to his neck while Waterguard stood with his Orca Brand poised, but a moment later Earthguard looked up. "No pulse I think that finished him."

"Then let's go help the others!" Waterguard replied. The two of them dashed to the side of the plaza where the fight between Rodim and the other three Rangers still raged. Black darts flew from Rodim's hands, but Fireguard deflected them with a swing of his sword. He desperately charged himself to launch another attack, but a combined strike from an arrow from the Hawkwing and the Gorilla Vine smashed him down. Brannoch growled as he watched. It was happening all over again.

"Yo, guys!" Waterguard called as he and Earthguard came charging up. "We just smoked Sharaki! Need a hand?"

"I think he's had about enough of us, why not?" Fireguard replied, keeping his eyes on Rodim. The monster moaned pitifully in pain, dragging himself limply across the ground as if that would allow him to elude the heroes who had beaten him down and overcome his deadliest creations.

"Yeesh… I almost feel sorry for him…" Waterguard said.

"Save your sympathy for your fallen friends, blue one!" Rodim suddenly shouted, waving his hand through the air and trailing a whip-like stream of power behind it, but Airguard's Hawk Wind Guardian E-Factor slapped the attack harmlessly away. Waterguard retracted the prongs of his trident into the head, took aim, and blasted away to Rodim with twin bursts of force from his weapon's blaster port. There was no time to get off a witty retorting quip. Rodim was blown back from the impact and the stream of energy vanished. He got up but gasped for breath, looking like most of the fight had been knocked out of him.

Earthguard was about to step forward to attack, but a strange feeling stopped her. Stopped all of them. Each Ranger held up their unique weapon, the knowledge the taskmaster had given them taking over.

"Guys! Guardian Vulcan…assemble!" Fireguard said. As if it was habit Airguard slid her bow vertically into the head of Waterguard's battlerod. Forestguard placed the Gorilla Vine bracer on top of the rod's shaft, Earthguard placing her claws on the bottom behind the bow. Finally, Fireguard clamped the Dragon Steel onto the bottom side of the shaft, and held up the cannon-like weapon, Waterguard and Forestguard each going down on one knee to support it on their shoulders, while Earth and Airguard took up positions on either side of Fireguard, taking hold of both his arms.

****

"GUARDIAN VULCAN!" Fireguard shouted.

****

"ATTACK!" The others called. Their powers flowed into the weapon, merged, and five searing bolts of energy hued in each Ranger's respective color screamed out of the front of the Guardian Vulcan. The beams converged into one ferocious lance of unstoppable power and tore through the air toward Rodim, striking him dead-center in his midsection and causing an explosion that climbed thirty feet high.

"All _right_! **WHOO-HOO!!!**" Waterguard whooped, pumping his arm back triumphantly.

"**YATTA**! Take _that_, Garganstah!" Airguard cheered. As the blast cleared the Rangers could see several blackened chunks of stone that had been Rodim a moment before. They let out a collective sigh of relief.

Fireguard smiled behind his helmet. He'd been worried that his friends couldn't really pull off a victorious battle against their new foes, despite their success in the Proving Grounds. But the evidence was right in front of him. Somewhere behind him too, but they could start worrying about Sharaki's body once they'd caught their breath.

"Yo, man!" Waterguard said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Did pretty fuggin' awesome, huh?"

"Yeah. You guys did good."

" 'Good'? Awwww, _man_! Is that all you gotta say?"

Something in his best friend's tone made Fireguard chuckle. "Okay, okay, man…" He reached up and gave Waterguard an affectionate thump on the top of his helmet. "You rocked back there. All you guys did."

"I wouldn't rest on my laurels if I were you," interjected a harsh voice. The Rangers whirled around, and there stood Sharaki. In one hand was his sword, in the other was a pouch.

"Uhhh, excuse me, but weren't you dead a few seconds ago?" Waterguard asked, clearly surprised at seeing the Garganstah swordsman no longer among the living-impaired.

"HAH! While it's true, you gave me a far more satisfying battle than yesterday, and I can tell your power has grown considerably, you've a long way to go before you have power enough to extinguish the life of a Baron of Garganstah, and much to learn about the skills of true warriors...like feigning death." He tore open the string on the pouch.

"Oh, no…guys, don't let him open that!" Fireguard shouted, although his teammates were already in motion. But Sharaki swung his mighty sword, swatting each of them away like a swarm of mosquitoes until only Fireguard stood in his way. The Ranger in red bravely lifted his sword. "You're gonna have to go through me to get to him," he vowed.

Sharaki smiled, "You speak as though I'd have it any other way." Their swords met in the air, and Sharaki pushed Fireguard backward. But before he could react, Sharaki raised his sword high over his head, flaring electric blue light dancing across the blade's surface.

**""STRATOS! THUNDER STREAM!" **he shouted, swinging his sword around, unleashing a blinding spear of lightning that knocked Fireguard twenty feet away. Sharaki poured the golden powder in the pouch over the remains of his warrior, then stepped back as Rodim's pieces began to glow. "Count your blessings, Guardranger…that was only the first stage of my power." With that, Sharaki shimmered, turning into a ball of light that zoomed off into the sky.

"Geez…" Waterguard groaned, "anybody get the license plate of that wrecking ball that hit me?"

"I'd be more worried about _that _one!" Forestguard replied as Rodim's remains flashed and then he reappeared, rejuvenated into a giant.

"You'll feel my wrath now, Guardrangers! Oh…how you're going to _pay_ for this!" Rodim bellowed as he tried to stomp on them, but they jumped safely to the side. As one they raised their voices and called out, **"GUARD BEASTS, AWAKEN!"**

And the great creatures of the elements roused from their slumber to answer the call. Hellscar flew free from a burning fissure in the ground. Tidalstorm erupted from the depths of the ocean. Terraclaw charged forth from his cave. Treebasher galloped through the forest where he made his home, and Windshear swooped down from the clouds. Within moments the Guard Beasts had arrived, and pulse of light issued forth from them that pulled the Guardrangers aboard.

Rodim concentrated and the gems on his armor blinked and then fired a barrage of blasts that toppled buildings and chewed up the ground around the Guard Beasts, but they heroically charged through the destruction, completely revitalized by the awakening of the Ranger's full powers.

"Go ahead and shoot, lame-o! We've got your number!" Waterguard taunted. At his command Tidalstorm flew through the clouds of dust and debris and rammed into Rodim, knocking him off balance. The monster reached out to grab Tidalstorm in a net of his dark energy, but a crimson blast pushed him back.

"Now _you're_ the one getting us in trouble, Jase! I'll bet you were like this in your past life, too!" Fireguard called.

****

_HE WAS! _Tidalstorm chimed in mentally.

"Hey, cracking wise is _my_ job, you guys! Man, gettin' it from BOTH sides here…" Waterguard came back, even though he felt for sure Fireguard and Tidalstorm were ribbing him. The rest of the Guard Beasts closed in to attack. But as they did, the second image from the taskmaster's scroll, the giant winged warrior flashed through their minds, and with one heart, one voice, one purpose, they called out, **"IMMORTAL FUSION!"**

Hellscar threw back his head with a deafening roar. The crimson dragon spread his wings and took flight into the air, a towering column of multi-colored light igniting beneath him. As Hellscar's arms and hind legs began to shift and fold into themselves, his massive frame alive with fiery energy as the conversion went further, Hellscar's neck lowering into the main body until no more than his head stuck out. Treebasher thundered forth into the light column, and was pulled upwards toward Hellscar, his emerald and silver body beginning to shift and re-form as he rose. His body twisted and reshaped itself, forming a pair of sturdy and powerful legs and a lower torso. The two sections joined as one, the lower half glowing a fierce emerald hue. Tidalstorm and Terraclaw leapt into the light, followed a second later by Windshear. Glowing with blue and yellow light respectively, the grizzly bear's legs retracted into the main body while the orca's fins folded flat against his sides. The burning aura around Hellscar enveloped them both and drew them to either side, grizzly on the right, orca on the left and locked them in place, their mouths opening wide and sprouting hands, forming arms. Finally, Windshear approached from the back like a rocket climbing toward space, her talons rising up slightly and locking beneath her underside. Hellscar's wings lifted and Windshear locked into place beneath them, forming a majestic second set of wings and thrumming with brilliant white light. Hellscar's dragon head folded downward onto the chest and a humanoid head arose, adorned with a blood red helmet, glowing yellow eyes, and a silver mouth plate. Finally, a black dome materialized over Hellscar's head on the chest, the triangular Guardranger symbol appearing in the each of the five sections the dome was segmented into--red, blue, yellow, white and green. The elemental energies embraced one another, dancing along the metal titan's body.

Then, in a voice that brought the voices of all five Guard Beasts together in unison, he spoke: **_"WE ARE THE UNITY. WE ARE... DAICHIJIN!"_** The giant warrior went into a fighting stance and the energies that had played over his body rushed outward, igniting a series of explosions around him.

In the Garganstah ship, Brannoch nearly swallowed his wine the wrong way. "**WHAT??!**" he bellowed at Daichijin's image on the screen. He had never seen anything like that, and neither had Rodim, who backed up warily as his black energy played over his hands.

"SUGOI!" Airguard half-squealed, "I always wondered what it was like to pilot one of these combined robos!" Each of them could feel the power of the warrior formed from their separate beasts as they stood in the cavernous cockpit. "Let's show Garganstah who's boss!"

"Any objections to that?" Fireguard asked. 

****

_"NONE." _the great gestalt responded, and surged forward. 

Rodim shouted and charged, grabbing onto Daichijin's shoulders. That energy that had been surrounding his hands now washed over the elemental warrior, forming into binding ropes. Rodim fired strobes of energy through the ropes, send shockwaves of power through Daichijin and igniting wave after wave of sparks, but the elemental titan was completely unaffected.

"Whoa, not even a scratch!" Forestguard shouted as the explosions continued around them.

"Dude! I could get used to this whole invincible thing!" Waterguard grinned.

"I wouldn't if I were you! This kind of thing only happens after a gestalt robo's formed for the first time! Twice at the most if you're REALLY lucky!" Airguard cut in.

"Guys, enough already! We need to get out of this!" Fireguard replied. "Water, Earth, flex the arms and try to break free! Take all the energy you need!"

"Done!" Earthguard shouted. Daichijin began to struggle and pull at his bonds, straining mightily. Rodim struck another blow, but suddenly the dome on Daichijin's chest began to burn with white light. His arms surged with power and thrust outward, breaking his binds. A harsh right to the jaw knocked Rodim away.

Rodim charged himself up, and blackness began to spread from his fingertips and cover the surrounding area again. "Oh, geez, that's all we need…somebody nail him quick! Temporary invincibility or not, the LAST thing we need is a super-size version of that last attack!" Fireguard yelled.

"Already on it, boss!" Airguard said. A pair of powerful words appeared in her mind, and she gave voice to them: **"CRYING HAWK!"** Immediately Daichijin reached behind his back and detached Windshear's body, which clipped onto his right forearm. As the darkness spread Windshear burned with white light, then expulsed an ivory beam accompanied by a scream like a bird of prey. It exploded against Rodim, and with his concentration broken the darkness began to recede.

"Damn…" Rodim spat. Daichijin closed in to press the attack, but all of a sudden the ground under his giant feet trembled and a black geyser shot up and hurled the metal warrior head over heels to the ground. Rodim attacked again by conjuring up a spiked bullwhip and lashed the fallen warrior repeatedly, causing explosions all over his body.

"We're taking some pretty heavy licks, boss man." Waterguard reported.

"Maybe, but we've barely shown what this baby can do. Let's get him back up," Fireguard replied. With a heroic effort Daichijin hauled himself up. Rodim's whip cracked again. Fireguard was ready, though, and called out a command that had just formed itself in his thoughts: **"GAIATIC CUTTER!"** The dome on Daichijin's chest flashed, and at once a colossal silver sword of unearthly design appeared in his hand. Rodim swung his whip, Daichijin swung his blade, the two collided and the whip was sliced into nothingness.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Rangers!" Rodim called tauntingly, and his very body began to blacken and fade into a menacing shadow. His arms stretched out and hacked at Daichijin, and the warrior's sword went right through them when he tried to block a second strike. Sparks burst from his body, but Daichijin advanced and swung his blade at Rodim's torso--to no effect, it passed through as if nothing was there. Rodim gave a haughty laugh.

Fireguard tried to keep his team from unraveling. The day's ordeals had left them all exhausted, and it was beginning to show. 

"We can finish this now, guys, but we have to do it together. Everyone, concentrate on the sword. Something tells me that'll give us the power to finish this guy off." The Rangers did as they were told, and the Gaiatic Cutter began to hum with a high-pitched noise. The dome burned with golden light, and Daichijin swiped the giant sword across the dome, transferring the flare of gold into the blade. Rodim laughed and struck at them, raking Daichijin with his shadowy claws, but the Guardrangers had faith, and as if to reflect that the blow didn't faze their giant warrior. 

As one, their voices clashed together in a storm of deafening sound and shouted, **"EARTH RAGE!" **The world around them faded to black, then a supernova of prismatic color exploded forth as Daichijin brought up his sword. Then with all the power he possessed, swung it at and through Rodim in a flurry of merciless, blinding gold slashes. The shadow screamed in unimaginable agony, shrinking back to his normal form, and then exploding. Inside Daichijin's cockpit, the Rangers couldn't stop cheering.

A cry of disbelief went up through the Garganstah ship as Rodim went down. Where had those Guardrangers gotten such power and confidence after being beaten so badly merely a day before? The aristocrats who'd been watching the battle with Brannoch cowered back fearfully as they awaited his reaction, but all that came was a frustrated scowl.

Within the hour, rumors were going were flying through the Lemrios that Emperor Brannoch was going to have Sharaki put to death for failure. Or exiled. Or given a second chance. No one seemed quite sure, but that was the way of rumors. A few particularly gregarious souls were claiming the Guardrangers, having blunted the initial assault, had vowed to take the life of Brannoch himself.

Lurian sighed, knowing one thing with certainty. He could expect more late nights at work.

A short while later the Rangers were gathered in the Earth Sanctum, barely mindful of the scrapes they'd picked up over the course of their harrowing day.

"Did you see how we smoked that guy?!" Jason whooped, his arms around Ryuji and Tochiro.

"So much power…" Miaka said, still awed by the whole experience. "Garganstah'd better watch out for us now!" Ryuji was going to interject something in regards to that, but Beservor did it for him.

"Your power has reached a new plateau, it is true, Miaka," he said, "but do not rest too much pride on your victory. Garganstah is a powerful empire, and we have seen but a fraction of their might so far. Many battles are still to come."

"Hey, I think after today, we're ready for anything," Tochiro said. It was still surprising to hear him sounding brave and determined.

"After a chance to rest up at any rate," Naoko put in. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted."

"That's for damn sure," Jason replied. "I feel like I've been surfing non-stop for twelve hours straight." Tochiro and Miaka nodded agreement.

Ryuji surveyed his team for a moment. Beside him was Jason, loyal friend despite the changes Ryuji's position was forcing upon him these days. Naoko, the beautiful but hard-nosed woman who seemed to welcome those changes. Tochiro, the soft-spoken pacifist who had proven today he could be more if he had to. And Miaka, the young life force who was living her greatest dream. The people with whom he would bear the burden of the Earth's continued well being.

"Guys," he said, standing up to make something of a speech, "I want to say I'm proud of all of you. I'll admit I had some doubts about all of us being up to the task, but I gotta say…today you proved to me and yourselves, I'm sure, that you're all got what it takes to be part of this team and as good as any sentai as there's ever been. I'd say this calls for a celebration, but you all look more like you could use about a year's worth of uninterrupted sleep. So on that note, go get some rest. Kami knows you guys earned it."

The Rangers all rose and voiced thanks as they filed out the staircase to the surface, fatigue evident in their walks. Jason stopped to bump fists with Ryuji, who rubbed his head tiredly but good-naturedly before he left. Naoko turned to Ryuji and gave him a strange sort of smile, but before he could ask what she was thinking, she was gone. He didn't feel like chasing her down, or contacting her through their spiritual bond. Something would be lost even if she answered. Instead, he leaned back and said to Beservor, "I think we're off to a pretty good start."

"Time will tell, Fireguard. Time will tell." But from far away, Ryuji was sure he could see Riki and the taskmaster smiling proudly.

The Garganstah colony ship materialized over the mountains of Hokkaido. It was the dead of night. There a secret was buried that Armag, the renegade Baron, had thought would protect him from his countrymen. Instead, it would protect _them._ Brannoch stood at the window of the aristocrats' gallery and gazed down at the ground below. He concentrated, his body crackling with power, the power of ages welling up within him. Bolts of energy rained down from his fingers, and the ground cracked as a massive object was raised from the earth in which it had been immersed for millennia.

It was a massive, disk-shaped craft, the size of a small city. Along its edges were walls hundreds of feet tall and the color of storm clouds. The Death Gar, product of a science Garganstah had long ago forgotten. Within it was room enough for all of Brannoch's people, and defenses that would protect them against threats even their aging colony ship was vulnerable to.

Devora appeared by his side. "So…that's the prize Armag was after."

Brannoch nodded. "Prize indeed, my dear. I'm going to order the relocation of all our subjects and possessions to the Death Gar, Devora. We've come home."


	10. Episode 10: Abduction of Airguard! Enter...

****

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 10: Abduction of Airguard! Enter: Gammaraude! 

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

Things were finally beginning to settle down in the magnificent fortress that hovered just above Earth's atmosphere, looking down on the island nation that the planet's inhabitants called Japan. The home of their enemies since time immemorial, the Eternal Sentai Guardranger.

The blue-skinned subjects of the Empire were still talking about how fearsome the Guardrangers had proven to be. They had even bested Sharaki, Garganstah's invincible champion! Did Garganstah stand any chance at all against such enemies? The people in the workplaces and forums aboard the Death Gar were buzzing with worry, especially a disgruntled young subject named Lurian as he walked the halls back to work after his break, knowing he'd be working late into the night maintaining delicate machinery even if none of the Barons came to them with a request for an Animated Warrior that day.

Yes, all of Garganstah seemed to be on edge about this. But none more so than its ruler, the one determined to make Earth his again at any cost for the benefit and security of his people, Emperor Brannoch.

Brannoch drummed his fingers on the arm of his steel throne. Sharaki's attempt to get rid of the Guardrangers had failed in spectacular fashion, destroyed at the hands of Daichijin, a giant metallic warrior the like of which he had never seen before. Still, Rodim had only been intended as a scout in the first place. From now on, he would send real warriors to do this job.

Brannoch wondered who, though, as none of his Barons had come forward with plans of their own yet. Probably still busy settling into their new quarters and facilities. But the Guardrangers were probably still inexperienced with the new abilities they'd demonstrated when they fought Rodim the second time. Brannoch couldn't relent or they'd surely become even more formidable. And that was the last thing he needed…

The Emperor of Garganstah effortlessly tuned out the material world and delved into the power surging inside him waiting to be called upon. He summoned that power, then flung it ethereally across the expanse of the Death Gar. In a laboratory on the other side of the fortress, a reaction was produced. A screen hummed to life in the wall, and Gammaraude, Garganstah's technological miracle-worker, looked up from her work to see the face of her Emperor on it.

"Sire, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she said in the diplomatic voice she'd been honing for years.

Brannoch was unfazed by Gammaraude's tone of voice, but answered her question. "Report to me at once, Gammaraude. I have a task for you, and I don't care to give you the particulars through the indignity of a screen on your wall."

Meanwhile, far below, a scenario of a completely different nature was playing out. Miaka and Noremi were strolling leisurely along a crowded street. School was over for the day, and homework assignments for the night were surprisingly light. But Miaka wasn't complaining. She'd been hoping she could spend a little time mending fences with her friend before going home, what with all the dodging and dancing around questions she'd had to do about what she spent her spare time doing that she couldn't tell Noremi about.

Noremi, for her part, looked to be willing to forgive and forget as she plied Miaka with the latest rumors about who said what about who and which of their friends had a crush on the new captain of the school baseball team. In fact she was acting like Miaka hadn't been acting weirdly at all.

Trying to play it nonchalant, and seeing if Noremi was just being polite, Miaka said, "Boy, seems like I've really been out of touch lately. I haven't heard about _any_ of this."

"Not really. Actually, I only heard about it yesterday," Noremi replied, sounding as casual as could be. She wondered if Miaka could tell she was trying to be friendly and forgiving, trying to ignore the secrets Miaka was keeping from her. But it wasn't easy. And she could tell that whatever this secret was, it was something big, which only made it worse.

Fortunately for them both, Noremi was suddenly distracted by something she spotted in a store window.

Noremi stood with her eyes screwed to the window of a small store called Marap's, an accessory place with a reputation for inexpensive, but beautiful merchandise Miaka had heard her friends mention two or three times. It was a lot less spectacular than she'd been led to believe. But still, there was something in the window display that had sure gotten Noremi's attention. Miaka had to peer around her to see what it was.

Noremi's eyes were glued to a large music/jewelry box, with an ornately shaped and beautifully painted glass angel holding a crescent moon out in front of her standing proudly in the center of the box. It looked gorgeous, Miaka had to admit, but couldn't be _too_ exquisiteif it was being sold at a place like Marap's. Still, Noremi looked entranced.

"Kawaii! I wonder what that costs," Noremi said without taking her eyes off of it.

"Why don't we go in and find out? I don't know about you, but I'd love to have something like that."

Noremi sighed in response. And she didn't even have to say what she was about to.

"Because I'm broke. I spent the last of my allowance for the week when we went to the movies. I didn't really think I'd run into something I couldn't live without."

"Oh come on... This is supposed to be one of the cheapest stores in town. Everyone we know has at least something from this store decorating their bedroom. Are you really that hard up for money right now?"

Noremi fished a 100-yen coin out of her pocket, and looked at Miaka disconsolately. Somehow, Miaka thought, even Marap's merchandise probably wasn't that cheap. But it wasn't like Miaka was any richer. A good chunk of her money for the moment had disappeared last weekend when they got together with their little clique to go to the aforementioned movie. All Miaka had left was the monthly fee she paid her vocal coach with. So no luck there.

In spite of her current "lack thereof" in the money situation, Miaka felt this overwhelming urge to find some way to buy this little treasure for Noremi. Her friend who was still her friend despite Miaka's being unable to open up about her biggest achievement in life.

She sighed inwardly. A perfect opportunity to reaffirm her friendship with Noremi, and she wasn't blessed with the finances to seize it. Her head spun with ideas about getting the music box as a present for Noremi, none of them very practicable or befitting of a part-time superhero like herself. There had to be a way to get this, to smooth things over with Noremi. But how, when she had next to no money and wouldn't have any until the end of the week? A little treasure like that wasn't destined to stay un-purchased for long.

"Oh well…you can't have everything," Noremi said, her tone carrying a note of finality to the whole shebang. She stepped away from the window.

Miaka's felt about two inches tall. What kind of friend was she, that she kept secrets from her best friend and could provide nothing to make amends? A protective one and one with no income, that's what kind. 

Guilty much?

Noremi and she had been friends for ages. It meant something big to her to maintain that friendship. And as much as she might have wanted to, Miaka couldn't do it by telling Noremi what really kept her busy outside of school these days. That was the whose purpose of having a secret identity-- to keep friends and loved ones from being turned into human bull's-eyes, and she certainly didn't want Noremi targeted by Garganstah because she happened to know who one of the Guardrangers was. So what could she do?

The two girls walked on, exchanging gossip in a gloomier tone than before.

A confident figure strode unhindered through the halls of the Death Gar toward Emperor Brannoch's throne room. A waterfall of dark blood-red hair fell down her back, and she garbed herself in a somewhat-elaborate, if form-fitting, suit of dark blue armor of her own make and design, her high heels sounding imperious clicks down the hallway. The civilians she passed stopped and started at this beauty who walked through their midst. She exuded power, brilliance and charisma, for she was Gammaraude, one of the mighty Barons who led the forces of Garganstah.

Her passage was quick; everyone she met in the halls could tell she had been called on some important mission and stayed out of her way. When she reached the throne room two hefty guards pushed open the giant doors to allow her entrance. The room was empty except for Brannoch, sitting on his steel throne at the far end. Whatever he wanted to say to her was clearly meant only for her ears, as he had sent the regular assemblage of courtiers and guards away.

"As you requested, Emperor, I have come. What task would you have of me?" she said in her mellifluous voice, cutting right to the point. She of all people in Garganstah was aware Brannoch didn't favor wasting time when there was work to be done.

"I am requesting the creation of one of your mechanical Animated Warriors. We have been long gone from Earth, and I've grown ignorant in the kinds of natural wealth it possesses. I'd like to learn again, and begin to take a little recompense for what the humans did."

"Of course, sire. Is that all?"

"Hardly," Brannoch said, and for a moment seemed the inhuman tyrant the peoples of the worlds Garganstah had conquered thought he was. "You'll need to incorporate combat capabilities into it, as well. Activity on our part is sure to attract the Guardrangers' attention. And when they show up, I want them swatted like the infernal gnats they are."

"Majesty, forgive my boldness, but…are they truly that quick to respond to a threat made against them?" Gammaraude asked. She had heard the same stories about the Guardrangers that all of Garganstah had, but she was a woman of science, of personal observation and confirmed conclusions. Not of believing in wild folktales and ancient legends.

"More so than you truly understand, my dear. They came almost at once when Sharaki attacked, both times. It's exactly as I've said, Gammaraude, over and over during our trips through space. The Guardrangers are the most dangerous foes we could possibly face. The fact that they're still fighting us after four thousand years should prove that. And now with the additional power of that damnable warrior of theirs--this…'Great Earth God', Daichijin they've gained, the task before us will be considerably greater than before."

"I understand, Sire. I'll see to the creation of an Animated Warrior at once." Brannoch nodded at this, and wove a hand to dismiss her from his presence.

Gammaraude made a quick and efficient journey from Brannoch's throne room to the laboratory several floors down where facilities were set up to create life, one of the many incredible powers at Garganstah's command.

Unlike her fellow Barons, Gammaraude liked this place. A smile played across her lovely blue face as she took in the gigantic humming machinery and the lab technicians running around attending to various tasks. A few scurried over to her like the sycophantic lackeys they were when they noticed that the Baroness had come in.

"Greetings, Baroness. Do you require an Animated Warrior of us?"

"Of course, you lout. Why else would I be here?" she snapped, and Lurian winced as he watched his co-worker reel back in fright. This, on the other hand, was what she didn't like about coming here to cook up a new Animated Warrior of subtle qualities and devastating power. That the cowering simps working here felt they had to ask the Barons what they wanted this time whenever they came down to create a soldier to stage an attack with. She really should've been used to it by now, but somehow every time it managed to be a fresh horror.

She carefully considered the qualities she wanted in this Animated Warrior as the technicians fired up the machines. It would have to be able to collect things with considerable speed and store them all away. It would need a micro-dimensional storage space, a pocket dimension that could reduce the size and mass of whatever was placed inside, but that was no problem. Garganstah had long ago mastered such trivial things as fabricating dimensions. Gammaraude thought of an antiquated cleaning device as a means of collection, and figured that in as well. Some armor and other basic weaponry, and her creation was ready to be animated. The details were fed into a master computer, and the astonishing process began.

Above her head, a metallic containment module slowly moved into place over a slab of metal one of the technicians wheeled into place on a gurney. One of the technicians entered a host of complex computations into a nearby keyboard, and a glowing, baseball-sized pod rose from a compartment in the floor, rising into the containment module in a field of anti-gravity. Dark-green and plant-like in its appearance, it was, quite literally the heart of a planet, containing the necessary essence that imparted it life. This one, however was one from a minor, uninhabited world, and therefore it was expendable in the long run. The Genesis Seeds of the greatest potency were stored elsewhere and at the Royal Family's disposal. The techs continued working, feeding the data and physical schematics into the computers that guided the animation process into the Genesis Seed.

The seed began to hum and throb as colorful bits of computerized information traveled from the machines into it. Then suddenly arcing bolts of green power lanced out from the seed and into the metal below, melting it at once. But the metal began to rise as if with a life of its own, which it if fact then possessed, and began to take shape.

Humanoid, it was, but that was where the similarity to the people of Garganstah ended. Then, horrifyingly, the shape solidified, and stepped forward, its metal skin now fully detailed and glittering ominously. It was an imposing robot, with angry-looking amber eyes and a bodily construction that made him look like a cross between a weight lifter and a tank. Small but dangerous and extremely potent-looking cannons bristled on his shoulders and wrists. On his back was a hefty backpack. Gammaraude smiled as she inspected her creation.

"All right, Stasher, time for your first field test…"

The mechanical monster gnashed his pointed metal teeth together in enthusiastic reply.

A short while later, a field of smoldering blue light appeared in the middle of a Tokyo park, and from that field, Gammaraude and her monster materialized. People turned to look at them in surprise, and as soon as they realized what they were seeing, they began to flee in all directions. Such was a conditioned response after all of the monsters and menaces that had made Tokyo their target over the years.

Gammaraude surveyed her surroundings, ignoring the panicked civilians, beneath her notice. If they were so weak that the mere sight of the likes of her and Stasher frightened them so much, they _deserved _to be conquered by Garganstah. But she wasn't here on a mission of subjugation.

As a woman tripped and fell during her flight from these strange interlopers, a jewel-studded necklace her husband had given her as an anniversary gift was jarred loose and fell to the ground. Considering life a more precious gift, she didn't stop to retrieve it as she ran. But Stasher spotted it, and immediately went to work.

His right fist opened up, like a flower, revealing a tube running up through his arm. It began to whir with a powerful suction, and in the blink of an eye the necklace was sucked inside of Stasher. But then something caught his mechanical eye, and he sauntered across the street to a jewelry store, smashed in the window with his vacuum-arm, then proceeded to suck up every bauble in the store, not to mention nearly a panicked clerk who was fumbling to escape through the back door.

__

Good…the collection system seems to be working well, Gammaraude said to herself as Stasher's hand folded back to normal and he stepped away from the window. Not that she doubted her masterpiece in the least, of course. But the thought of foes actually capable of putting up a fight thrilled her to the core after all of Garganstah's easy victories, and she wondered how Stasher might be able to do against the Guardrangers when and if they lived up to Brannoch's warnings by showing up.

Only one way to find out. She and Stasher headed into the streets of downtownTokyo to stir up some mischief.

The uncomfortable silence between Miaka and Noremi was so tangible, it felt like a solid force against them both. They'd run out of things to make idle conversation about ages ago, and Noremi was thinking it was about time she went home and tried to forget that Miaka wasn't telling her something important. But just then, a wave of panicked civilians running as fast their legs could carry them from Gammaraude came into sight down the street.

Miaka instinctively grabbed her hefty friend and quickly pulled her out of the way of the mob. She leaned out and tried to see what the mob was running from, but this time Noremi pulled _her_ back out of the way, into the limited safety of a narrow alley.

"Miaka! Have you lost your mind?! Quick, get out of the way before you get trampled!" Noremi ordered, as if scolding a younger sibling.

It was exactly the same feeling she had whenever the two of them hung out. Miaka always seemed so innocent to Noremi, exactly like a young sibling, unversed in the ways of the world, but determined to fix that. The strange and exotic had always been Miaka's favorite things, and something that could put that many people to flight was bound to be something you didn't see every day. But it was also bound to be dangerous.

Miaka just looked at her friend. Miaka knew Noremi had been put out by her refusing to talk about being a Guardranger, whether she acted like it or not. It was about the only secret Miaka had ever kept from her, and the _only_ thing Miaka had kept to herself with such insistence. Miaka knew her friend well enough to know that this was something Noremi did not believe friends did to each other. And yet there was an unmistakable patience and protectiveness behind Noremi's words and bearing. Maybe she was disappointed in Miaka for not being told her secret, but she was still worried about her friend.

"Gomen…I just…wanted to see what the big emergency was. If we should be running away too…" Miaka stammered, trying to collect herself and not give anything away.

"Well, if it spooked a crowd that big, I'm thinking 'yes'. Come on, let's get out of here," Noremi said as calmly as she could with a mad rush of frightened people literally at their backs, then grabbed Miaka by the wrist and started to run down a side street. As she was towed along, Miaka pried her thoughts away from how grateful she was for her friend being so cool about this, and sent out a message along a special bond that allowed her, her teammates, and the wizard who advised them to communicate over long distances. If Garganstah was around, she had to be aware.

__

Bes…I almost got stampeded by a mob of scared people. They seemed like they were running away from something. Is Garganstah around?

After a moment, a reply came. _Yes, Airguard. I have alerted the others. Help is on the way._

Good. I'll be along as soon as I can, Bes.

As soon as she could, indeed. She wasn't going to be much help against whatever Garganstah had cooked up with Noremi dragging her to safety like a good friend would…

Major sigh.

Gammaraude sat back and watched with amusement as her monster caused utter chaos in the streets. He sucked up anything that sparkled, and fired his shoulder cannons at anything that didn't. Entire buildings exploded under his onslaught.

She began to wonder where the Guardrangers were taking so long. Brannoch would have had her believe that they'd be right on her heels the minute she started causing a disturbance, but even the police hadn't showed up to try to stop her yet. Which was strange, to put it mildly. After beating Sharaki, why would the protectors of the people just disappear, and not reappear when she came out to play?

Stasher aimed and fired another merciless barrage from his shoulder-cannons, toppling another building. Gammaraude watched it fall with a startling nonchalance, but then called out to the monster, "Calm down, Stasher! No sense in mowing down good potential subjects that way." Stasher grunted and went back to destroying property on a much more limited scale.

The collection was going surprisingly quickly, Gammaraude thought, letting her mind wander amidst the explosions and screams of terror. There were entire stores full of jewels and baubles and all sorts of sparkly things that came out of the ground and were used to artificially enhance the beauty of the wearer. Were humans--the women in particular--really suffering from such low esteem in their own looks that they needed to adorn themselves with rocks and gold to feel pretty? What other reason could there be for so many of their acquisitions coming right off of people's necks and fingers, from people just walking down the street? On Garganstah such baubles a symbol of office. On this planet people walked into stores and bought them. Such a strange, strange world it had become while they were gone.

All of a sudden a device on her wrist began to bleep urgently. Stasher heard it and stopped what he was doing. Gammaraude looked around slowly, silently. The device's warning could mean only one thing. It was something she'd whipped up to be an early warning system when signatures of elemental energy manifested in the vicinity.

Like when the Guardrangers activated their powers.

She could almost hear the world creak on its axis, everything was so quiet as she listened for the slightest clue f where her adversaries might be. Then, without warning, two brightly-colored figures, red and blue, flew out of the shadows and, swords flashing, struck Stasher as they sped past. At the same time, another two figures, yellow and green, launched themselves out of nowhere at Gammaraude. Two sword strokes connected before she even realized what was happening. But though they struck sparks against her uniform, she was unharmed, thanks to the durable material she'd made it from. If they had thought to remove her as a threat so quickly, well, they were going to receive a nasty surprise.

The colorful assailants landed and gathered together. Each wore a helmet crafted in the image of a mighty beast on it, and on the front of each one's costume was a triangular symbol depicting a different natural element; a roaring flame, a cascading tidal wave, a pillar of stone, and a towering tree. And each was toting a short, shining sword. Yes, these were the Guardrangers. Strange, though. One seemed to be missing…

"So…at last the scourge of Garganstah finally deign to show themselves ," Gammaraude said simply. "I was started to grow bored with the wait."

"Gomenesai." the one in yellow--Earthguard, Gammaraude remembered this one was called--replied dryly. "but you'll find that we aren't in the habit of making things convenient for the people who want to take over this planet." 

Gammaraude snorted. "Something we have in common. Stasher! Deal with this!" she hissed. The metal monster nodded in acknowledgement and stepped forward. Then all at once the storage pack on his back opened up and out jumped a group of Silicons. Like lambs to the slaughter, they surged toward the Rangers with Stasher right behind them.

"Here they come, guys," Fireguard warned. "Naoko, you and Tochiro take the big guy! We'll handle these clowns!"

"Done," Earthguard confirmed, while Forestguard gave a thumbs-up as the metal soldiers rushed toward the four of them.

The Rangers readied themselves. With the coming of the true Garganstah empire, even the Silicons were no joke anymore. But as the first of them came within striking range, they were ready. Fire and Waterguard's Eternablade's flashed through the air and dug into the torsos of the first two foot soldiers. Then the pair of the warriors kicked the still-flailing Silicons off their weapons and slashed the next two to the ground.

Forest and Earthguard were heaving themselves right into the battle as well. The Gorilla Vine cut the distance between them in the blink of an eye and smacked into Stasher's chest with a resounding impact. The robot fired a blast from a cannon on his shoulder that knocked Forestguard twenty feet down the sidewalk, but Earthguard was already leaping toward him, Grizzly Claws outstretched. Before he could react, she had ripped them across his right side. A metallic cry of pain cut the air.

Yes, the battle was joined. But as Gammaraude watched from the sidelines, she wondered where the last Ranger was. She had only detected the four surges of power, and that made her a little uneasy. Where was the fifth Guardranger while her teammates were here duking it out with the forces of Garganstah?

Gammaraude touched her fingers to the keypad built into her right arm guard. She entered in a few keystrokes and the signature analyzer that had warned her of the Guardranger's coming switched modes and began scanning for the last of their number on a more concentrated scale. Removing herself from the melee, Gammaraude slipped away in search of the remaining Ranger. If she couldn't come to the fight with her friends, maybe she'd be up for a little one-on-one.

Miaka struggled, trying to break Noremi's iron grip on her wrist. Garganstah was on the attack, she had to go help the rest of the team fight. But it wasn't as if she could tell Noremi that.

"Noremi, I think we're far enough out of the way now, you can stop dragging me!"

"Oh, no…I'm not going to feel safe until we've got a dozen or more armed cops surrounding us," Noremi replied firmly. Of course, that did nothing to reassure Miaka. Who knew how the fight was going? She didn't, that's who, but Miaka had an idea…

"Okay, okay, but would you stop holding so tight? Before my arm comes out at the socket!"

Noremi loosened her grip on Miaka's arm a little, but that was all Miaka needed. Quick as a wink she had slipped her slender wrist through Noremi's grasp and was darting back the other way. "Gomen, Noremi! Maybe I'll be able to explain all this eventually!"

"MIAKA!!!" Noremi recovered quickly, though, and chased after Miaka. She couldn't imagine what was going through her friend's head, but wasn't about to let her just charge straight into the lion's den by letting her go back and see what was happening. She ran after Miaka, moving surprisingly fast for a girl of her heft.

Miaka darted through the streets and alleys, sure Noremi was right behind her and not feeling safe to change until she had given her friend the slip. As she paused to catch her breath, the unmistakable sounds of battle reached her ears. She must have been close. Seeing there was no one around now, Miaka raised her Guard Brace, and immediately felt a power beginning to rise within her.

"AIR…FOCUS!" she shouted, and a cyclone whipped up from beneath her. Airguard's glistening white uniform began to weave itself around her body as her powers erupted, and within instants, Miaka Kanzuki was replaced by Airguard. She started toward the sounds of battle, but suddenly something bolted out of the shadows and hit her squarely in the back.

Airguard quickly pulled herself up, and there stood Gammaraude, an expression of supreme confidence on her face and half the length of her right arm covered in blue-black metal that terminated into a giant hammer-like extension on her hand.

"Well, there you are. I was wondering where you were hiding, little girl," she said.

"Yeah, I know…if you'd known I was coming, you would've baked a cake or whatever," Airguard quipped, drawing her Eternablade. "It's not like I planned on being late..."

"I suppose not. But fortunately, it's worked to my advantage, regardless," Gammaraude smirked, tapping another host of keystrokes into her gauntlet keypad on her gauntlet. The metal of the hammer liquefied and shifted like flowing mercury before being replaced by a triple-pronged rod with pulsing strobes of blue electricity dancing along the ends.

Airguard quickly sized up this new Garganstah warrior, then remarked, "You know, you new Gargs sure don't talk like Armag."

Gammaraude's face screwed up in disgust. "Gods and minions…don't mention that ingrate and our empire in the same breath. He was a witless fool who became a Baron because his father was an old friend of Emperor Brannoch's. Unlike that wretch, the rest of us actually earned our appointments." So saying, Gammaraude charged, aiming the energy rod at Airguard's midsection.

Another Baron! Airguard tried to fend off the incoming strike with her sword, but Gammaraude wasn't just smart, she was quick, too, and jabbed the rod into Airguard's unguarded side.

The electricity poured into Airguard's body, registering pain in every nerve. Even though her protective uniform took the brunt of the assault, Airguard barely managed to stagger back, trying to pull herself together before Gammaraude attacked again. But Gammaraude knew many things, like the wisdom of pressing an advantage in battle, and gave Airguard no chance to recover.

Airguard feebly dodged another jab from Gammaraude's shock-rod. Gammaraude smiled a triumphant smile. These Guardrangers might have beaten Sharaki, but it appeared that separately, they could hardly even defend themselves. This would be an easy victory.

Airguard, meanwhile, could tell she wasn't up against some slouch, but as the pain from her memorable shock faded, she began to feel that maybe, if she was careful, she might have a chance at evening the odds. The Baroness seemed pretty confident since she only had one Ranger to fight. Maybe Airguard could use that…

The thought of salvation if she could pull off a ploy gave Airguard strength, and she deftly dodged the next strike, then with a leap and mid-air swerve that would have made the Olympic judges proud, soared over Gammaraude's head and landed behind her. Gammaraude went in once more with her electron rod, but Airguard dodged aside at the last second and sheared off the ends of it with her Eternablade.

"A minor setback," Gammaraude said, still the picture of confidence, and hit another button. The metal liquefied and shifted again and took on the form of a short blade with a dull green glint of some weird liquid on it. Airguard had no idea what was, but she wasn't about to risk getting scratched by it simply to find out. And as Gammaraude lunged, most of Airguard's energy went into swerving and ducking out of her way.

As they dueled, Airguard landed a few blows of her own, but her Eternablade skidded uselessly off the Baroness's uniform. To take out her opponent, however, was not her goal. As she weaved away from Gammaraude's blows, Airguard was steering them toward where she heard sounds of fighting. It wasn't exactly an elegant plan, but she figured that if she could get to the battle, she would be with her teammates and stand a batter chance of making it home alive.

Gammaraude, on the other hand, was thinking about how this Ranger kept dancing around, as if afraid of the slightest blow connecting, and it made her more confident than ever. If all she could do was dodge, she wasn't going to be much of a threat--and sooner or later she _would_ jump the wrong way.

That's what she thought anyway. At that moment Gammaraude stabbed her gauntlet at Airguard and clipped the young heroine's arm, but Airguard had gotten a better idea than dodging and feinting, and flung herself away from Gammaraude, then jumped into the air and vaulted off the wall of a building. Summoning up her ability to control the air itself, she began to soar off. Toward the sounds of battle…

But Gammaraude wasn't surprised for long. A press of her belt buckle and she lifted off the ground and flew after Airguard. "You can't think it's that simple, little girl! If you start a fight with me, expect to finish it!"

"Who says I'm not doing just that?" Airguard called back as she weaved through buildings, hoping she wasn't giving her true aim away. Gammaraude raised her right arm, metal flowing like water again, forming a nasty-looking gun with a extremely hefty gatling gun muzzle on the end and tried to aim the shot that would take her prey down once and for all, but Airguard was paying attention and zipped and weaved erratically to throw her off. In less than a minute they had cleared the buildings and below them was harsh melee was taking place. The Guardrangers were beating back Gammaraude's metal flunkies, and Airguard descended to join them, landing next to Forestguard.

"Hey! Took you long enough to get here," he chided good-naturedly. He was actually pretty glad to see her, since they'd all been too busy to contact her and see if she was all right.

"I know. I really have to stop hanging out with the wrong people," Airguard replied, pointing to Gammaraude, who was at that moment descending to join the battle as well.

She laughed. A long, haughty laugh that stopped the fighting completely as they all turned to look at her. "So the mighty heroine runs from her enemy to the safety of her friends. Heroism at its finest---HAH!"

"At least she's got friends," Forestguard retorted, fixing her with a steely gaze behind his visor.

Gammaraude laughed again. "You're hardly in any position to judge. I'm just reporting what I see. What makes you so sure you know anything about me, _hero_?"

"We know enough! You tried to take over the planet and it created us in response to stop you!"

"Spoken like the self-righteous hypocrites you are!" Gammaraude raged. "Conquest was the only means you left to us! Humanity feared and persecuted us from the beginning because of our gifts, our power! You wouldn't accept us so we fought back. And what did we gain for our efforts? We were driven into space for four millennia! Earth is _our_ home as much as any other species who lives here!"

"Even _if_ that's true, which I'm seriously doubting, it's doesn't justify what you're doing!"

"Shut up!" Gammaraude shouted. She'd come to get these idiots out of the Empire's way, not to talk ethics. Stasher realized his mistress considered the conversation closed, and lunged at the nearest Ranger--Forestguard. He was taken completely by surprise, but one of his teammates wasn't, and two words saved his life.

****

"BOREAN BURST!" Airguard gathered and fired her familiar sphere of concentrated air straight at Stasher. It exploded against his metal torso and sent him stumbling back. The Silicons brandished their weapons, and the fight began again. Silicons surrounded Forest and Airguard and they braced themselves back to back, weapons in hand. The metal soldiers closed in, isolating the two of them from their teammates, and swords began flashing violently through the air.

Fending off attack after attack, Forestguard managed to spare a bit of attention for his comrade leaning against his back. "Arigato, Airguard..."

"My pleasure, but I think we'll be saving each other's lives a lot before we get done with the Gargs," Airguard replied while fending off Silicons of her own. "You have to stay on the ball while you're doing this."

"And you'd know, wouldn't you? Trust me…I'm not gonna forget after that."

Stasher had recovered by now and was battling the other three Rangers. Waterguard jumped and thrust his trident at Stasher while Earthguard attacked from behind with her claws, but Stasher's upper body began to spin while he held his arms out and batted them away. Fireguard ducked under this attack and jabbed his Dragon Steel into Stasher's leg. The robot howled and tried to kick him, but Fireguard was too fast and rolled out of the way.

Fireguard dashed to the side of the street gathered his energy. The Dragon Steel began to burn with vermilion power, and he brought it up, calling out, **"DRAGON HELLBURST--"** But Stasher suddenly aimed his vacuum tube at Fireguard and sucked in with all his might. Fireguard, flaming sword poised to strike, was yanked off-balance and pulled toward the monster! Fireguard struggled but the pull was much too strong and he couldn't aim a blow to stop Stasher and resist being pulled closer at the same time.

****

"DRAGON HELLRISER!" Fireguard shouted desperately and suddenly began to spiral toward Stasher encased in a tornado of flame. Now Stasher was surprised, and bowled off his feet when Fireguard smashed into him. He quickly got up, but the other Rangers were ready for him.

****

"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!" Before Stasher could even think of launching a new attack, he was seized up in a whirlpool that erupted from the end of Waterguard's trident before being shot like a cannonball out of the watery vortex and into the side of a building.

Earthguard was next. **"PETRA…" **Her claws released white fog at Stasher and immediately a shell of stone spread over his body. "**CROSS SLASH!"** Earthguard brought her arms down in an "X" motion, and the red image burned itself into the stone shell and exploded, sending stone shrapnel flying on all sides.

"Great job, guys!" Fireguard said, but it was premature. From out of the smoke emerged Stasher, damaged but still kicking. The Rangers braced themselves as he retaliated.

Gammaraude watched the battle from above, taking everything in, as was her wont. These Guardrangers did indeed seem to be dogged foes as three of them were knocked down by Stasher but got right back up and hacked at him with their archaic weapons. She turned toward the other two, locked in battle with a rapidly dwindling number of Silicons.

he two f them complemented each other well. Forestguard lunged and stabbed a Silicon on in the gut, while Airguard bounded off his back and with an acrobatic flip sliced the head off the Silicon behind the one her teammate had just taken out. Forestguard punched one in the face with his Shock Knuckles and then Airguard ducked in and hacked it off at the waist with a quicksilver fluidity that would've been the envy of all the stuntmen in Hollywood.

Gammaraude tapped a button on her belt and descended toward the two Rangers. Science and its methodical and detached ways had put her where she was, but Gammaraude could tell when a good time to involve herself in a fight was. With her Silicons almost completely wiped out, now was such a time. 

She wasted no words on the Guardrangers. That was the course fools took. Instead she pressed a button on her gauntlet and a small gun-like module rose up, which she aimed at the two of them.

"What kind of--" Airguard began, but Gammaraude didn't let her finish. A tap of a button discharged an impulse of bruise-purple energy from the module that lanced out and engulfed Airguard, then lifted her off the ground. Airguard struggled, only to have Gammaraude increase the power and the force of the beam multiplied tenfold and chucked her through the air like a stone.

Forestguard poised himself to attack, but Gammaraude magnified the width of the beam and sucked him into its field in seconds. She hoisted him thirty feet straight up and off the ground, but before she could entertain the idea of throwing him anywhere, Forestguard drew his arms back quickly, a flare of green igniting in his palms.

****

"AURA OAK BUSTER!" Forestguard thrust his arms out as a spiraling blast of emerald green, accompanied by a flurry of glowing leaves lanced toward Gammaraude. Snarling, she threw her right forearm out in front of her, a transparent screen of invisible force splintering and diffusing the blast, but the impact was still solid enough to force her to release her hold on Forestguard in the process. He went into a crouch as he landed, and when he stood up again Airguard, a little bruised but a lot wiser, was by his side.

"Wish I'd thought of that."

"You will next time," Forestguard replied like the loving big brother she'd never had.

Forestguard certainly seemed to be adapting to this well, even if he didn't necessarily agree with solving problems with force. For a second she wondered if being enlisted in Guardranger was changing her at all, or if all the attention she had invested in those who were now her fellow heroes had her on autopilot whenever she donned the helmet and the suit. But only a second, because a pair of silver modules materialized on Gammaraude's wrist, locking on either side of the gravity ray she'd previously used and was aiming it at them. The two attacked her together.

The others continued to battle Stasher, until he suddenly reared up and decked all three with a swipe of his hefty metal fist. But they were up again in an instant, and as one flipped over Stasher's head and sent three simultaneous kicks that knocked the metal behemoth into the air to skid to a halt at his mistress's feet.

"Give it up, lady!" Waterguard shouted as he and the two others closed in on Gammaraude. "We've got you beat!"

"Not in this lifetime, Ranger," Gammaraude replied icily, and suddenly Stasher's arm lashed out and grabbed Airguard by the ankle. Before she could do anything to defend herself, Airguard was engulfed in a violent impulse of purple light from Gammaraude's weapon. She cried out, power arcing all over her body, and crumpled lifelessly to the ground. Gammaraude stepped forward to finish the job, but Forestguard jumped in her way.

"You're not hurting her while I'm here," Forestguard said, brandishing his Gorilla Vine protectively. Behind him, Airguard's head was swimming. She couldn't move and hardly think thanks to that shot Gammaraude had just leveled her with, but she could, with an effort, make out that Forestguard was hovering over while the Garganstah monster released his grip on her ankle and moved to back up his mistress against this puny challenger.

"What do you think you're--" Airguard gasped, but Forestguard cut her off.

"Save your strength, we can handle this."

"We'll see," Gammaraude retorted. "Don't think that was the last of my arsenal. I've got plenty where that came from!" She whistled, and Stasher roared like a wild animal and reared up to attack Forestguard. The Ranger in green braced himself, and his teammates charged to his aid. Stasher dove at Forestguard's neck with his vicious fangs, but the warrior in green caught his mechanical foe by the shoulders and forced him back with a strength and fury that was unlike him, away from Airguard. Gammaraude made a move toward Airguard, reaching into a pocket to pull out who knew what kind of new deadly weapon, but Fireguard quickly motioned to the others and flipped nimbly to surround her.

"Hey, where you goin' in such a rush, beautiful? Leavin' the party before it gets started?" Waterguard said, pretending to sound hurt. _Typical Jason behavior_, Airguard thought.

"Clearly Sharaki's the only one of you who has any sort of chivalry about him," Earthguard added. Serious and righteous as usual.

And then there was Fireguard, who said simply, "You fight one of us, you fight all of us." He'd become as serious and righteous as Earthguard in the couple of weeks that they'd been a team, and now was leading the others in defending their fallen ally.

Gammaraude growled at them all, and suddenly whipped out a pair of black egg-shaped objects she chucked at the three Rangers. The black eggs hit the ground and exploded, but the Rangers jumped in the way of the blast without a moment's hesitation. Some distance away Airguard could hear Forestguard and the monster mixing it up. The battle picked up again a moment later with Gammaraude producing a pair of whips of blazing energy from who knew where to use against the Guardrangers.

They were all heroes, Airguard thought, but more than that, they were first-rate friends. Airguard didn't know anyone else she was sure would jump on top of a bomb to protect her. But looking back on that day would cause her to really appreciate her friends, for at that moment she felt someone dragging her away from the battle.

Making a heroic effort, Airguard managed to squeeze a pair of words out of her mouth. "Who's there?"

"Just a concerned citizen," said a very familiar voice. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of the line of fire."

Airguard couldn't turn to look at her erstwhile rescuer, but she didn't need to. It was Noremi, probably expecting to find Miaka at the battle and instead finding a helpless Guardranger. If she only knew.

"You haven't happened to see a girl about my age run past here, have you? I think she came this way, but I didn't see her."

Airguard tried to say that no she hadn't, but all that came out was a sound that said it hurt to try to talk. Noremi continued to drag her off the battlefield in silence.

Suddenly a cry of pain cut the air as Stasher blasted Forestguard and literally sent him flying. The other three Rangers turned to see what was happening and for a moment hesitated, wondering whether to press the attack on Gammaraude or help their teammate. She was quicker on the trigger, though, and fired a brutal barrage of quantum rounds at them from her gatling gun, igniting a wave of sparks as the ammo connected and knocked the three of them down, then darted away.

"Stasher, finish off the one in green!" Gammaraude called. Stasher stomped toward Forestguard, who was burned and battered on the ground, to comply, but something caught his electronic eye. Noremi froze as Stasher's gaze locked onto her, and his hand opened up to reveal the vacuum tube in his arm. "What are you doing?!" Gammaraude shouted, but Stasher was doing exactly what she'd designed him to do.

The suction began, tugging at the stones set in Noremi's earrings. They were just glass, but they glimmered like jewels and so Stasher was just doing his job by collecting them. Noremi held on tighter to Airguard, trying to pull her away despite the force trying to relieve her of her baubles, but Stasher's power was too strong and the two of them were just pulled in closer.

"Airguard!" Forestguard cried as he watched in horror, but as he tried to get up and stop the monster, his body seized up in pain and he collapsed. Stasher kicked him aside and redoubled his efforts, pulling Noremi and Airguard in even more quickly and forcefully.

"Get away…save yourself…hayaku!" Airguard gasped, barely audible to Noremi over the rushing air. Noremi might have too, if a strange feeling hadn't come over them both at that instant. The suction was still there, but it seemed to be getting even stronger. But there was also another sensation, as if they were being stretched from the top and bottom and squeezed around the middle all at the same time, which was more or less exactly what was happening to them. Before the Guardrangers' and Gammaraude's eyes, Noremi and Airguard began to extend and become thinner, looking like reflections in carnival mirrors, and they spiraled off the ground, through the air, and into Stasher's vacuum tube, which closed behind them.

**"AIRGUARD!" **four voices shouted at once. Fire, Water, and Earthguard forgot all about Gammaraude and their own injuries and hurled themselves at Stasher, but their angry charge made them easy targets and one burst from his shoulder cannons cut down all three Rangers.

Gammaraude moved forward to finish the job her creation had started, her whips crackling. But all at once a menacing visage appeared in the sky above. All of the combatants recognized it. It was Brannoch.

"Gammaraude, return. I would discuss the results of your hunt." With that, the face vanished.

"Looks like you've earned a reprieve, Guardrangers," Gammaraude scoffed, disappointed that she had been called back with them at her mercy. "Next time, though…" And with that, she and Stasher turned into balls of light and flitted off into the heavens, leaving the Guardrangers battered and defeated in the street.

Noremi groaned. She felt like she'd just been through a tornado, and it was only with a supreme effort of will that she opened her eyes, even though the sound and sensation of rushing air were gone.

The room she was in was dark, but big. Dim blue light filtered in from somewhere far above them, catching on the stones of countless rings, necklaces, earrings, broaches, tennis bracelets and other baubles piled up to her shins. She stepped forward to investigate, and tripped over something and fell on her face. Airguard was still at her feet.

"Oh, gomen! Daijoubu?"

Airguard could only groan in reply. On the upside, whatever kind of shock Gammaraude had given her system, it seemed to be wearing off. Her vision was starting to clear and her nerves were settling back down.

"Hang on, I'll get you off the floor." Noremi took Airguard by the wrists, pulled her upright, and braced her back against the wall, sitting on a cushion of jewelry that could probably put them both through college. "We must be inside that robot," Noremi said, looking around. She didn't really expect a reply from Airguard, and didn't get one.

Noremi waded through the jewelry, forgetting about herself and the fact that she and this heroine were trapped in the belly of a monster she had seen take down the other four Guardrangers. Where was Miaka? Closer than she thought, of course, but for all she knew Miaka was still out there somewhere, looking for who knew what, or worse. Maybe the robot she was inside of now and that blue woman had found Miaka first, and--

Noremi sighed in exasperation and fright. Her horoscope had said she'd have a bad day this week, but she had never thought it would involve being captured by super villains. What was going to happen to her and Airguard? Were they going to be taken to some hidden base, presented as prizes to whoever the leader was of these evildoers, then executed? Were they going to toil for the rest of their lives in some kind of hellish factory or mine as slaves? Or did they have some other kind of hideous torture in mind that never been conceived on Earth? She looked over at the motionless Airguard, and considered a last possibility, the most frightening of all.

What if they were just going to be left in there, inside the monster?

Airguard sighed inwardly. After all, it was all she could do to breathe without screaming in pain. Noremi looked overwhelmed, and who could blame her? She was only trying to be a good friend and to help someone in need, and now both of them were trapped. For a second, she thought she would, if she could, tell Noremi who she was, why she had slipped away toward the battle. But she knew she couldn't. Secret identities were for the hero's protection as much as for the protection of the hero's friends and family.

Airguard gasped in pain and her body contorted against the wall as the pain wracking her body intensified for a second. Noremi hurried over toward her (as quickly as someone could in a room with a foot and a half of jewelry cluttered all over the floor), but Airguard managed to stay upright on her own. It almost seemed like it was happening to remind her that being trapped in here with a friend who didn't know they were friends wasn't her only problem. What if the others got trapped too? Would they be able to get out? Was there any way for she and Noremi to escape as it was?

Airguard achingly flexed her fingers. Feeling was returning, but slowly. Even if they could escape, it wouldn't happen while she was still paralyzed. So for the moment, she just leaned back to rest. Noremi did the same, fearing that day would be her last…

Gammaraude thought it a very strange day. Not only had Brannoch called her off when she was on the verge of killing his hated enemies once and for all, but he had had her go to her lab and said he would meet her there. While she waited Gammaraude ran a routine diagnostic check on Stasher but despite the whacks the Guardrangers had given him, there was nothing but superficial damage.

"Maybe they're not the threat the Emperor believes after all…" Gammaraude said to herself.

"The ignorance of youth, Gammaraude. You'd do well to visit the historical archives when you have the opportunity," a voice behind her said suddenly. "You have no idea what they're capable of, or what they've become capable of since."

Gammaraude whirled around, knowing exactly what she'd see when she did. Sure enough, Brannoch was framed in the doorway. "Emperor! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Gammaraude asked, bowing as deferentially as a person could.

"Rise," Brannoch responded evenly. "I observed your battle when I could spare a minute. You were doing very well."

"If I may ask, sire, since I was doing so well, why did you call me back when I could've finished them off? Wasn't that part of what you sent me to do?"

If Brannoch had been some petty and vindictive tyrant, Gammaraude would surely have been atomized on the spot for asking a question like that. But he wasn't, and replied, "My dear Gammaraude…perhaps if you live as long as I have, you'll learn patience. Yes, of course I want them destroyed. I want our planet back and they're the only thing on it that prevent us from taking it. But they can't simply die some simple, ignominious death, and it's my fault for not saying this before you left. It must be…an exquisite death. And I want to watch it happen. Which is why I called you back."

"Sire, you obviously could--" Gammaraude began, but Brannoch silenced her.

"Gammaraude, we have spent thousands of years wandering the stars thanks to them. We have been forced to devastate other planets to get the energy to sustain ourselves. Do you think eradicating the ones responsible for all that in any old way will pay us back?" Brannoch said, feeling every inch of his considerable age.

"No sire, I think not. Everyone in the Empire knows about us being forced off Earth. And by who. We were just protecting ourselves after relations with humanity failed."

"Yes, exactly. It's their fault we've had to build our power for so long, do you see why I want Garganstah to see them ground into dust? I want a grand, crushing victory over our oldest enemies to commemorate our triumphant return to Earth. Now, show me what your warrior has collected."

"At once, sire." Gammaraude whistled and a Silicon wheeled a monitor over to besides Stasher. She took a cable from the monitor and hooked it into her warrior's shoulder. At once an image of the inside of Stasher's storage space appeared on the monitor, piled with baubles and with two human figures leaned against the wall.

Brannoch shook his head. "Gods and minions…I knew humanity was a superficial lot, but this is disturbing…" His attention was only on the mounds of wealth for a moment, though. His good eye focused on Stasher's captives, and yes, he could plainly see that one was indeed a Guardranger. This would be perfect for what he sought. "Yes, this will work perfectly. Gammaraude, you may keep all the materials you've collected and see what kind of properties you can unearth from them. But keep your captives inside your warrior."

The prospect of being the one to fight and defeat the legendary Guardrangers was appealing to Gammaraude very much as Brannoch spoke to her. She had been raised as a scholar, to use her mind to solve her problems and those of the Empire. But many were the times she had been called upon to lend her skills to her warriors in battle itself, and for all her intellectual ways, she had been excited when thirst for action took her for the first time. A chance to smite enemies with as much notoriety as the Guardrangers in front of the entire Empire excited her.

"Yes sire. The Guardrangers will know what to expect if they raise a hand against my warrior. I'll l return once I've modified Stasher a bit to facilitate that," Gammaraude said, already feeling the exhilaration of battle coming on.

"Excellent. I will be looking forward to it. But for now--" An obnoxious buzz cut him off. With a grimace Brannoch tapped his wrist.

"Emperor Brannoch, the engineering supervisors are wondering where you are," a voice came from his gauntlet.

"They can wonder a little longer. I'm still giving the Baroness her orders," Brannoch replied sharply and cut the link. "I really need to be more forceful with them…" Brannoch muttered to himself.

"It's all right, sire. I know what to do now," Gammaraude said. Already Silicons were bringing tools for her to get to work on her warrior.

"Then I'm leaving it in your hands, Baroness. Deliver the Guardrangers to me today." And with a dramatic flourish of his cloak, Brannoch turned and left Gammaraude's laboratory.

"Ow!"

"Hold still."

"OWWW!"

"Would you **HOLD STILL?!**"

"Hey Naoko, you never said you were a nurse."

"Jason, if you want to help, kindly cut out the comedy and tell Tochiro to stop squirming!"

The Guardrangers were gathered back in the Earth Sanctum, recovering for the next battle. Especially Tochiro, who was up against the wall, shirtless, while Naoko did her best to patch up his injuries, while Jason and Ryuji sat at the meeting table, trying to come up with a plan of action to save their teammate. Unfortunately, when they had no idea what their enemy had planned, it was hard to come up with something to counter it.

Tochiro winced as antiseptic was rubbed into his wounds. That monster had hit him pretty hard for him to be hurt back in civilian form too. But that wasn't what he was really thinking about. What was Garganstah going to do to Airguard? Was she even still alive after being sucked inside that robot?

There was something special about Miaka. She was so full of life and so dedicated to what they did. Since Tochiro had decided he was with the team for better or worse, there was a lot he could learn from her example. But there was something else.

He couldn't really describe it. It wasn't romantic or anything like that--Tochiro's morals about women simply didn't include fifteen-year-old girls--but ever since meeting her he had always felt an urge to make sure she was alright and live up to his promises to her. Even more so since she had helped save him from temptation during their trials in their last adventure. Why? He didn't really know, but it was for that reason that he was worrying about what was going to happen to her than about his own stinging wounds.

"Finally," Naoko said as she taped a gauze pad over Tochiro's biggest burn. " I wish you'd gone off into your own little world when I started patching you up."

"Naoko, will you stop already? We need to come up with a plan to get Miaka back," Ryuji said, wracking his brains to think of a way to get Garganstah's attention.

"I don't know how much good it'd do until they decide to show themselves. It's not like _we_ can go on a rampage to draw _them_ out, is it?"

"Hey, leave the jokes to me, okay?" Jason cut in.

"Who said I was joking?" Naoko returned coolly.

"Great, now she's started getting on _my_ case," Jason mumbled, settling back into his chair. Naoko shot over to where he was sitting to tell him what she thought of that, and he proceeded to reply what he thought about her thinking that.

Ryuji tuned the two of them out. He knew neither of them really meant it. It wasn't the stuff he and Naoko used to sling at each other all the time. But Ryuji could tell something was up with Tochiro. He hadn't said a word besides some form of "ow" since they'd left the site of the battle.

"Hey, Tochiro, something on your mind?" Ryuji asked as Naoko and Jason continued to bicker.

Tochiro started, as if someone making an effort to talk to him was something that had never happened before. "Yeah. I'm worried about Miaka."

"Yeah, me too, but we just started to get our act together. What would she think if we got all worked up and lost our team spirit over her getting captured?"

Tochiro sighed, "That's true, I guess I can see why you're in charge. But what about them?" he asked, jerking his thumb toward Jason and Naoko's vocal sparring session. "If we let them get away with that what's to keep them from fighting each other the next time we have a battle?"

"That? Hey, that's nothing. Just harmless brother-sister bantering."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I have a sister."

"Oh…oh, I see," Tochiro looked away.

"Nani? I say something wrong?" Ryuji asked.

"No, but, I…don't."

"You don't what?"

"I don't have any siblings. I don't know what it's like."

"Ah. Well, take my word for it, it's harmless. Anyways, let's try to stay calm and count on Miaka to be okay until we get a chance to help. I doubt I know as much about super sentai as her, but I know things are never hopeless in our business if we don't stop trying."

"Did Kingranger tell you that?" Tochiro asked, unable to hide a smirk. Good, he was finally starting to lighten up. That was more like the Tochiro who had signed on for this team.

Ryuji grinned at him. "Nah, but I bet he knows it too." Behind them Jason and Naoko had gotten tired of exchanging mild one-liners and had been listening to their teammates' conversation.

Naoko learned back into one of the chairs. "Maybe we should try to unwind a bit so we won't be so on edge when Garganstah comes back looking for another round."

"Heh. You're finally seeing things my way. There _is_ a God." Jason smirked victoriously.

"Honestly, Ryuji, how do you put up with him?" Naoko said to her leader.

"If I ever figure It out, I'll let you know." Ryuji replied casually.

__

"Dude!" Jason sounded offended.

Ryuji chuckled. "Just kidding, Jase. I thought you were the easy-going one."

Now that Ryuji had joined in, Tochiro observed that the bantering did indeed seem harmless. But his thoughts were still focused on Miaka. Something occurred to Tochiro just then, something he'd noticed just before Airguard and that other girl had been sucked into the robot. That purposeful look in his eyes as he had spotted her and targeted her, the way the rushing air had tugged at her dazzling earrings…

"Guys," he said suddenly, "I have a hunch."

_Miaka…_

Nani?

_Miaka, can you hear me?_

Anata wa?

_Miaka, come back to us!_

Blurry images began to appear before Airguard's eyes, then slowly focused. She was still in the expansive room that was that robot monster's storage space, with all the jewels from before gone, and Noremi sitting nearby.

"How…how long…" Airguard said instinctively, surprising herself with how easily words came out now. She could nearly get up and move now. But not quite.

"You've been asleep for about half an hour. Are you all right?"

"I thought someone was calling me…It sounded like Forestguard…"

"Forestguard?"

"Yes. I'm Airguard, the one who wears green is Forestguard."

"Oh, okay."

Airguard tried to get up, as the stinging sensation all over her body had faded, but found she still couldn't move. She tried to reach out to the other Rangers with her mind, but something seemed to be blocking out her calls. Maybe because she was still paralyzed, maybe because her power had shrunk along with her body. Didn't really matter, though. She couldn't reach the others. 

Airguard turned and saw that Noremi was quivering against the wall, looking scared out of her wits. But it made Airguard forget her own problems for a second. Before all this started she'd been trying to find a way to mend fences with her best friend, who was now a prisoner with her. Even if Noremi couldn't be allowed to know who she really was, Airguard felt like she had to do _something_ to salvage the day. Maybe take both their minds off their troubles…

"Excuse me for asking this…but why were you in the middle of that whole mess?"

"Nani? Oh, like I said, I was looking for a friend."

"What's their name?"

"Miaka. Kanzuki Miaka."

"Ah. Are you two close?"

"Very. But she's been acting so strange lately. Ever since you guys showed up, actually. She's always been really interested in sentai groups."

"Really? Well…it's nice to be appreciated."

"But is it safe? She ran away from me when she heard that fight you guys were in going on, and I haven't seen her since. I'm worried she wanted to see you guys up close and got hurt or something. You didn't see any teenage girls get attacked back there, did you?"

"Not a one. If she was there she must have kept out of sight. You must really be worried, though."

Noremi sighed, but sounded a lot less on-edge after having talked about it. "Terribly. She's been like a little sister to me for a long time. But she's so curious and impulsive, and it worries me sometimes. Whenever something out of the ordinary happens she wants to know all about it and then she's off like a shot. One of these days, she's going to go and investigate something strange and get herself into a lot of trouble."

__

Like right now…Airguard thought about Noremi had said of her alter ego. Did she really want to know all about it when something strange happened? Yes, she supposed that was true. She had had an attraction to the unusual, at that. It explained the fascination she'd always had with superheroes, and how she was so into being one herself. And there were plenty of other examples that had nothing to do with superheroes, like how she had picked up singing as a hobby. Deep down, she felt her fascination with the unusual was just because she liked a change of routine, a dose of the stranger and exciting. Didn't everyone, deep down, want to go on an adventure and be a hero? Well, she did.

"Well, it seems to me like Miaka just wants a little excitement. Don't we all?"

"A little, yes. But I'm not much for the kind of excitement where death and bodily harm go hand in hand. And it worries me that it seems like Miaka is. I can't help worrying. She's my friend."

"I'm sure she'll be glad to hear that the next time you see each other," Airguard said, just as a spasm of pain shot through her body.

"Daijoubu?" Noremi called, already knowing the answer.

"I'm fine…I'm starting to get all my faculties back again. In a little while I should be back to normal." Or as normal as she could possibly get anymore. She felt a tingling in her mind, as if the other Rangers were trying to contact her. Airguard tried to focus and make out what was being said…

_Miaka? Are you there?_ the strange, disembodied voice she had heard before suddenly said.

__

Who's there? Who am I talking to?, she replied with her own inner voice.

_Miaka, daijoubu? I can barely hear you on this end. We're gonna try to sneak-attack the monster and try to save you when it comes back._

Wait a minute--end? What end? Who is this?! Airguard asked. The voice was getting fainter.

__

I'm losing you, Miaka. Just be ready, and count on us! And the voice faded, leaving her trapped and wondering about what she had just heard.

In Tokyo, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, setting the sky ablaze in pink and orange. People were either at home for the night or hurrying there. Among them, in an upscale part of town, was Tochiro Tsuchida.

Tochiro clutched at his head. He'd just been in contact with Airguard, but it had been quite a strain on the bond between the Guardrangers' souls to make contact. But he wanted her to be aware and ready when the Guardrangers sprung their trap.

Tochiro reached out to the others, mercifully experiencing none of the interference he had trying to contact Airguard. _Any of you guys see anything?_

No, unfortunately. Everything's calm for the moment. Naoko replied.

__

Tochiro, are you absolutely sure you saw what you did? Ryuji asked, although there was none of the doubt in his teammate he had possessed not long ago.

__

Yeah, I'm positive. The monster definitely spotted her earrings and then tried to suck them up. And a bunch of jewelry stores around where we fought them got broke into and looted, I checked. Besides, isn't it just the natural thing? If you were evil and had a gigantic vacuum, wouldn't you use it to suck up the all the expensive stuff you could find? Tochiro replied.

__

Makes sense to me, Jason chimed in. _That's the kind of thing bad guys always used to do in the comics._

Honestly, Jason, sometimes you can be so…simple… Naoko said with obvious exasperation. Tochiro dropped out of the connection. He had other things on his mind than Naoko and Jason fighting over remarks he made about comic books. Truth be told, he was nervous about what they were about to do.

Yes, he had committed himself to the Guardrangers' battle now, but that didn't mean he and the others wouldn't sometimes feel awkward or overwhelmed about the things they faced. And though he was sticking with the Guardrangers come what may, Tochiro felt like he was still getting his feet wet, compared to the others. And so he was more than a little nervous when Ryuji had unequivocally accepted his theory about what the monster had been after and put Tochiro in charge of what he (Tochiro) suggested they do to catch it.

"A good leader should be able to accept help from others, right? That's what a team's all about," Ryuji had said, dismissing Tochiro's protestations that he wasn't ready to lead any of their operations. After all, he had never paid much attention to superheroes; he'd always taken for granted that they'd be around to solve any monster attack or grandiose world domination problems. Tochiro had never really been into following the antics of people in bizarre costumes in comics or on TV, and he had certainly never expected to become one himself. And now he thought it was perfectly justified that he felt in over his head being in charge of a plan that involved an entire group of them.

Tochiro had to admit, though, that the plan was a relatively simple one. At his suggestion they were all staking out jewelry stories in different parts of the city, with Bes using his powers to survey Tokyo as well to help them pinpoint the location of the Garganstah warriors when they showed up. During this Tochiro was periodically checking in with everyone else to see if the others had spotted their targets. After that, they would ride the wind tunnels to the Gargs' location, surround them from hiding, then attack, hopefully rescuing their teammate in the process.

A dozen worries appeared in Tochiro's mind, but he forced them out. It would work, it had to. He wasn't going to be the Guardrangers' weak link anymore. Miaka was in trouble and they were going to save her, simple as that. He knew they could do it, and they--especially him--were going to.

Suddenly Tochiro heard a strange sound he was at a loss to describe, but then one he recognized all too clearly; the sound of a window being smashed in and cries of panic from the people in the street. He spun around and saw Gammaraude and Stasher standing next to the smashed-in window of a jewelry store, with Stasher's arm thrust inside and sucking up everything that glittered.

__

They're here, guys. Right next to me. Let's move, Tochiro sent into the bond between the Rangers, then slipped into the shadows of a nearby alley to keep an eye on his enemies until the others came. Gammaraude had come only with her monster, but he knew they could still expect a serious fight. Not to mention he noticed Gammaraude was now wearing a hefty metal backpack she hadn't been before. Probably loaded with all kinds of weapons they could only imagine at.

Soon the store was picked clean and Gammaraude and Stasher moved on, looking around them as if they expected their foes to suddenly pop out of hiding and attack any moment, which they probably did. Tochiro followed surreptitiously behind buildings and in side-streets, keeping an eye on their prey until the others arrived. Gammaraude pressed a button on her wrist com and two armor sections on her arms opened, and twin skeletal rods of metal extended down to her wrists. The rods swiftly began to shift and unfold, and although obviously not conceived by human minds, what they were was unmistakable: they were guns. Gammaraude looked as if she couldn't wait for someone to show up and try stop her so she could try them out.

Well, that time was soon to come. Two minutes later Tochiro could hear the voices of his friends inside of his mind.

__

I see Gammaraude and the monster. I'm ready, Naoko said.

__

Same here, they're up from me. Ready when you guys are, Ryuji said next.

__

Ditto. Let's get this party started, Jason added. Tochiro concentrated and could sense where he and the others were. They formed a perfect box around Gammaraude and Stasher, and on Tochiro's mental command, all of them raised their Guardbraces to henshin.

But suddenly Gammaraude's wrist-device began to sound with an early warning alarm. She looked at it, then quickly fired her guns, twice. The spheres of bright orange energy that were launched suddenly veered off from the direction they'd been fired, and streaked straight toward where each Guardranger was in the process of transforming! Four explosions and four cries of pain rewarded Gammaraude's attack.

The four Guardrangers stumbled into view, their uniforms smoking, but all in one piece. Stasher sounded like he was laughing at them. Gammaraude didn't waste any time mincing words with the Rangers, though. She aimed and fired again. Forestguard and Earthguard charged out of the way of her shots just in time, only to have to avoid them again as they came back toward the two Rangers. Gammaraude watched in amusement.

Waterguard and Fireguard summoned their weapons and attacked Stasher together. Trident and sword raised and fell against Stasher's metallic skin, and to Airguard and Noremi it felt like there was an earthquake going on. But Stasher wasn't even marked by the blows, and sent both heroes tumbling with a pair of blows from his metal fists.

"Don't hit too hard, heroes," Gammaraude said, swinging her attention to them. A flap in Stasher's chest swung open revealing a large screen, and on it the Rangers could see Airguard and Noremi trapped inside. "What do you think will happen to your friend and the young lady inside if you hurt my monster?" Gammaraude asked, a triumphant twang to her voice. The two Rangers didn't have a chance to think of what they'd do, though, as Stasher charged at them, firing his cannons, and it was all they could do to get out of his way.

Gammaraude was not idle, tapping another button on her backpack and lifting into the air, the better to pick off the two Guardrangers facing her down. She fired her seekers once again with glee, and again Forest and Earthguard hopped and leaped out of the way of the relentless balls of energy. Forestguard ducked under the energy ball that was after him, then leaped it when it came back to haunt him again, but when it returned, Forestguard suddenly pulled his Eternablade out and smacked the energy ball. It hissed and imploded. Behind his helmet Forestguard couldn't help smiling.

Earthguard tried a similar strategy, but instead of destroying the seeker, she took a stance like a baseball player as the burning sphere streaked toward her, then struck it with her Eternablade at full force and knocked it straight toward Gammaraude. The Baroness gasped and tapped a button on her belt, floating upwards out of the way just in time, then angrily pulled a flat piece of what looked like plastic out of her backpack and heaved it at the two Rangers. It exploded in mid-air, producing a rain of white powder on the Rangers, burning them wherever the particles of powder landed. The two of them collapsed.

The fight with Stasher wasn't going so well. Fire and Waterguard struck repeated blows with hand, foot and special weapon, but they couldn't put much power behind them for the sake of Airguard's continued well-being. Stasher had no such inhibitions, and with an evil glint in his photo cellular eyes, opened up the vacuum tube in his arm and aimed it at the street beneath their feet.

Inside Stasher, Noremi and Airguard felt the rush of air that meant their bizarre jailer was about to suck something up. Noremi huddled against the wall, readying herself to be pelted with jewelry. But it didn't happen. Instead, a chunk of asphalt as big as her dropped into the room. Then another sucking maelstrom of howling air followed, but in the other direction. It was more fierce than usual, pulling Airguard and Noremi from their resting places, but the chunk of asphalt flew out of the room and the air stopped. Outside, Fireguard and Waterguard saw why, as Stasher's storage hatch flipped open and the block of asphalt that Stasher had just sucked up shot out and knocked them both over. Painfully.

"Smarter than he looks. Bummer, man…" Waterguard observed through a miasma of agony. Fireguard said nothing, but had to agree. Stasher's vacuum probably hadn't been intended as a weapon, what with all the strength and guns built into him. But he was using it as one now, sucking up another person-sized piece of asphalt even as they watched.

"At least we've got one advantage if that's how he wants to do this. He can't aim too well with those things flying out of his back." And just as the words left his mouth, there was an ominous _whirring_ sound, and Stasher's head did a one-eighty, glaring at them maliciously. "Damn!" Again the hatch opened and again a huge hunk of asphalt mowed them over.

Airguard twitched a little. Her body was still tingling a bit with pain, but something distracted her. She heard four voices crying out in pain. Coming from somewhere nearby. It didn't take a genius to determine the source.

"I can hear them…Kami-sama, they're in so much pain…"

"Nani? Who?" Noremi asked.

"My friends…the other Guardrangers, they're trying to save us, but…they're in so much pain…" She idly wondered why she could hear them. The bond between them was closed, even if she could reach them through it. Perhaps that bond between them was stronger than they thought, though…

And perhaps it was, because a second later when a burst of pain wracked her body, the rest of the Rangers felt an extra edge to their own agony for a second, then it passed. However, Airguard could sense through the anguish of the four a determination, to secure their friend's safety at the risk of their own. Oh yes, if that day was teaching her anything…

Stasher sent another mass of road matter at Fire and Waterguard, but this time Fireguard was ready. **"Dragon Steel!" **he growled as his weapon appeared in a plume of flame. He swung the blade in a wide arc and sliced the asphalt apart before it could hit them. Stasher hissed mechanically and launched another one, but Waterguard struck this time with the Orca Brand, and shattered it into harmless bits. Stasher fired once again but the two flipped out of the way.

****

"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!" Waterguard yelled, watery force blasting out of the Orca Brand and sweeping Stasher off his metal feet, but it didn't really hurt him. But the wasn't the true purpose of the attack anyway. With his enemy down, Fireguard concentrated his energy and used a new attack to keep Stasher where he was.

****

"HELLION IMPACT!" Flaming power traveled from his body into the Dragon Steel, which he plunged into the ground. The shockwave of burning energy streaked toward Stasher and then exploded out of the ground in a ring of fire. Stasher growled angrily and tried to charge them through the flames, but it was hot enough to burn even him, and he stepped back with a yelp.

Gammaraude pulled another weapon, one that looked like a bazooka with two barrels, and fired it at the two Rangers engaging her. The blast would've shattered a tank but the Rangers were learning the value of a good defense quickly and were dodging and ducking for cover as far away as they could as soon as Gammaraude's finger pulled the trigger. And having safely evaded the blast, they flung themselves into the air attacked Gammaraude from both sides with their signature weapons.

Gammaraude smirked to herself, marveling at these fools who thought their archaic weapons were any match for her equipment. One press of a button surrounded her with an dark blue force field, and though it's difficult to alter one's direction while in mid-air, the two incoming Rangers didn't even try.

In Gammaraude Forestguard only saw an obstacle to his helping the others get Airguard to safety. All the worries and insecurities he'd been feeling about being up to this job melted away as he focused on that. He was going to get past this enemy and help Airguard--teammate, friend, surrogate little sister, _he didn't know_--that was all. 

Earthguard didn't hesitate either, and they crashed into Gammaraude's force wall, sending arcs of energy into them, but pressed their attack as quickly as they could and forced their arms through. It was too close to use the Gorilla Vine as a whip so Forestguard just banged it hard against Gammaraude's backpack while Earthguard dug her Grizzly Claws into the other side. They must have hit something important, because at once the protective field vanished and Gammaraude's anti-gravity gave out. She landed gracefully on her feet, but the Guardrangers had landed as well and barged her down, smashing her backpack and ran, over to where Fireguard was making sure Stasher stayed corralled. Stasher hissed and stomped from one side of the fiery enclosure to the other, but couldn't penetrate the walls for fear of being melted down to nothing. Just as the green and yellow Rangers joined their comrades, however, that malign intelligence that had done a number on the street was now coming up with a way out of his flaming prison. It may have been able to keep him confined, but could the same be said for his guns…?

Fireguard was concentrating on keeping the Hellion Impact's effect going, and didn't notice as Stasher's guns drew a bead on him and fired. Sure enough, the fiery wall keeping Stasher in one place was no obstacle to his shots and they slammed mercilessly into the leader of the Guardrangers where he stood. With his focus broken the circle of fire receded into nothingness. Stasher rushed aimed his guns to finish the job, knocking Waterguard out of his way with a flick of his mighty wrist. Fireguard had spent a lot of energy in the ring of fire, but he bravely lifted the Dragon Steel to defend himself from the monster.

Stasher fired and the blasts tore chunks out of the ground around Fireguard and nicked him several times. Waterguard leaped to his friend's defense and tried to attack Stasher from behind, but quick as a blink Stasher sucked up a huge piece of ground and fired it out his back to down Waterguard. Fireguard mustered his energy and hurled himself forward with the Dragon Steel aimed at Stasher's chest. He was as concerned for his youngest teammate's safety as any of the Rangers, but he was a bit worried next time Stasher might not be polite enough to miss. As he and his blade flew toward his robotic adversary, two other figures appeared, swinging swords of their own at Stasher. It was Forest and Earthguard.

"Glad to see you guys could make it!" The Rangers' weapons sliced into Stasher, not seeming to do any damage, but they weren't done yet. Forestguard began to conduct his elemental energy through his Eternablade into Stasher's body before he could retaliate, desperately hoping to incapacitate him and save Airguard. Fire and Earthguard quickly followed suit and within instants three Rangers' worth of primordial power was flooding into Stasher's system. He gave a mechanized gasp of pain and tried to shove them away, but the Rangers just pushed even harder. Waterguard leaped up and jammed his Orca Brand into Stasher's back and joined with pumping his power into their enemy.

"Couldn't wait for me, guys? I'm hurt."  
"Oh, please…**NOT NOW!**" Earthguard shouted. Waterguard growled, but complied.

"Idiots! Did you forget your friend is inside him?!" Gammaraude called to them. "Do you think what you're doing is going to be healthy for her??"

"Nothing's going to happen to her while we're around. We look after our own," Forestguard called back with a confidence that surprised everyone.

Airguard looked around. She could hear Stasher shrieking in outrage. Her friends were probably doing well now. Better than she thought, because suddenly a pool of white light began to emanate from the roof of the chamber. It came from a small hole of light that began to expand, until it took up the whole ceiling. She and Noremi shielded their eyes, but continued to watch, hoping this might yield a way out. And it looked like it might, because from the other side of the white vortex four giant masked faces looked back at them. The other Rangers!

"Hey, guys, I can see Airguard!"

"Me too! Keep it up!" Forestguard cried as he peered into the white light pouring out of Stasher's neck that showed them their erstwhile companion and her fellow prisoner. The Rangers shot more power into him, and Forestguard was about to reach in and pluck out the monster's captives. But he was so focused on Stasher, he didn't notice the figure approaching from behind. And he had no time to react even as Fireguard called a warning and a red bolt of energy cut Forestguard down. Behind him Gammaraude stood holding a smoking rifle.

"Your level of incompetence is staggering. What kind of idiot turns their back on an enemy in battle?" Without Forestguard contributing his power, the white vortex was beginning to shrink. Airguard grabbed Noremi around the waist and tried to fly through before it closed, but her powers had been diminished along with her size and she felt like a slug crawling to the far side of a tennis court as the vortex contracted even more.

Stasher suddenly rallied all of his strength and let out a thunderous roar, spinning in place and knocking the Rangers down with his fists. The vortex that had formed around his neck sealed itself and he stumbled away from the Rangers with sparks flying off his body every few seconds.

"Maybe you don't know," Forestguard said, only a hint of agonizing pain in his voice, "but the good guys play by different rules than the bad guys. We care if our friends are in trouble. Saving innocent people's lives is our first concern."

"Bah!" Gammaraude spat. "You have the gall to think that _we_ are the villains, after _you_ ran us off this planet thousands of years ago? You mortals are all alike. Whatever you can't understand, you destroy!" Another burst of sparks from Stasher punctuated the remark.

"I'm the first to admit I don't know much about all this good versus evil stuff, but I never heard of any good guy types who stole anything they wanted and tried to kill or destroy anything they felt like."

"Oh, truly? Didn't you--didn't all of humankind fear Garganstah because we possessed the power you lack?" Gammaraude fired her rifle into the Guardrangers' midst as they readied to attack her, blowing them all into the air. "Didn't humanity lay waste our kind and our kingdom on Earth because they thought we fraternized with evil spirits with our science? And the five you helped them! You helped them hunt us down and drive us into space because we were so far beyond you. _We_ were not the guilty ones in this, Guardranger! **YOU** were!!!"

Forestguard, oblivious to his teammates' groans of pain, was silent. What Gammaraude said might be true, he'd never remember his previous life. But in his simplistic view of the world, Forestguard couldn't see bullies and thieves as being the rightful rulers of the world. Two wrongs don't make a right, after all. With an effort he peeled himself off the ground. "If that's really the case, then why don't you at least try to talk peace with humanity? And you could start by letting our teammate and that other girl you've got trapped in there go!"

Before Gammaraude could say anything, a huge flurry of sparks flew off Stasher's body and he gave a groan that sounded like an engine trying to start. "I don't have to prove anything to you, Guardranger, but I have other matters to attend to presently. We will meet again, in the very near future…" And with that, she and Stasher vanished.

Forestguard sighed and helped his teammates up. "That didn't work, did it?"

"Doesn't look like it right now, but it never would've occurred to me to appeal to her conscience. That was a nice ploy."

"That wasn't a ploy. I was just going with the flow, and that seemed like the thing to do. But the plan didn't work, so we're back to square one…"

"I'm not so sure," Earthguard interjected. "Remember what happened just as we were about to henshin?"

"That gizmo she was carrying went off like an alarm…"

"Sounds like we'd better get back and figure out how this affects our plans."

"Yo, guys…about what Gammaraude was saying before…you think she was telling the truth? About us hunting down the Gargs in our past lives?" Waterguard asked, leaning on Fireguard for support.

"I don't know, man…" Fireguard looked off into a distance no one else could see.

"I don't know…"

Gammaraude and Stasher reappeared in Gammaraude's private laboratory in the Death Gar. Stasher was still shooting off sparks, and looked to be getting weaker each time. That injection of primordial energy from the Guardrangers had done a number on him. She laid her warrior on an observation table, popped open his chest plate and then deactivated him before things got any worse. She snapped her fingers and at once a group of Silicons began swarming around and laying out tools on a gurney. As they did, a screen in the wall flicked itself on. On it was Brannoch's face.

"I trust, Gammaraude, that you have a good reason for coming back here without claiming victory? The Guardrangers were badly weakened in that battle, why did you retreat?"

"Sire, I engaged the Guardrangers, but Stasher's been damaged, I don't know how badly. I'm going to run diagnostics and make repairs as quickly as I can."  
"See that you do. We can't let this opportunity slip through our fingers." And the screen clicked off. Gammaraude knew that the damage to Stasher wasn't the only reason she'd retreated. What kind of spectacular victory for all the Empire to watch would it be if they were arguing morals with her during it? And in regards to that, was Garganstah supposed to put being chased from their own planet and spending millennia plundering energy from planets to stay alive behind them just like that? Maybe two wrongs didn't make a right, but there was no way the war-like people who controlled the planet now would be willing to kiss and make up about it and give Garganstah a piece of the planet.

Silicons brought over tools for Gammaraude to use and popped off sections of Stasher's armor so she could see what was wrong with him. A bunch of wires and circuit boards around where the Guardrangers had injected their power into him were scorched and the power regulator was a blackened wreck, so she removed them and sent two Silicons off to her spare parts warehouse to find what she needed to replace them. 

This left Gammaraude with nothing to do but wait for them to come back, and think about what she'd do next time. One thing she was sure about: the next time would be the last time. The yearning for battle overtook her, and to get ready for her repair work Gammaraude got up and walked the diameter of her lab. There was a shelf full of nutritional supplements she was developing since there was so little space that could be set aside from crop-raising. Next, a rack of weapons of weapons that could effectively stun, paralyze or trap any known creature. Next to that was a solution she was developing to help the elderly strengthen weakening bones. All products of her intellect and her desire to help the people of Garganstah go on living.

On her other side, though, was the skull of a twelve-foot-long alligator-like beast she'd killed in one shot from one of her many weapons. She passed a rack of chemicals used to formulate the Titan Powder, an invention which she conceived and created. Diagrams of heavily-armed Animated Warriors that had served her and the Empire in the past were on her other side. For a moment, Gammaraude felt like two different people. But only for a moment. The doors of the lab slid open and the pair of Silicons she had sent to get spare parts walked in holding coils of wire, circuit boards and a new power regulator. It was time to get back to work.

It was taking a little while for the meeting to get started in the Earth Sanctum. The Rangers were pretty banged up after two battles in as many hours and no time to take a break. Jason and Naoko were bickering about her bedside manner, and Ryuji just sighed as he tried to work up the energy to tell them to knock it off. Tochiro was just watching the proceedings and trying to forget his pain.

"If you'd just be serious for five seconds--"

"If _you'd_ just chill out for five seconds--"

"Miaka's in danger, doesn't that matter to you?"

"Of course it does, for crying out loud! But getting ourselves totally keyed up about it isn't gonna help!"

As he watched this play out, Tochiro began to think maybe Ryuji had been right about Jason and Naoko's fighting. It wasn't exactly good-natured ribbing, but it was nothing like the venomous scream sessions Naoko and Ryuji had put them all through before he committed himself to the team. Maybe it was like between brother and sister. Which made him wonder about Airguard, the way he really felt about her, the way she felt about him, how they would save her…

"Guys, ENOUGH! My ears are ringing! Would you mind saving it for Garganstah? Who knows when they'll come back to get us?" Ryuji said.

"Which is what we should probably concentrate on right now," Beservor added. "Garganstah may return at any time to finish us off and Airguard is still in considerable peril."

"What we need to do is work through everything we saw in that fight and figure out a game plan, so we've got an idea of what to do next time," Tochiro offered. He sounded calm, but eager to get back to business and make a contribution.

"You okay, man?" Jason asked. "Nobody would think a mission where you were calling the shots just blew up in your face."

"Hey, none of you guys wants me to be the wishy-washy Guardranger who lost us the fight against Sharaki anymore, do you?" he replied and cast a glance around the table at his comrades, and met Ryuji's eyes for a moment, as if he suspected his leader hadn't completely forgiven him for that loss yet. But Tochiro felt no indignity. Rather, he felt the urge to prove himself to Ryuji and the others. "I don't want to be that Ranger either. I'm trying to roll with the punches and chip in on this team."

"That's great, Tochiro. So chip in, tell us what you noticed about the fight," Ryuji prompted.

"Well, for one thing, I noticed how she had a gizmo that sounded an alarm just as we changed to attack her. I think it must be tuned to our elemental powers somehow."

"Yeah, kinda like some early warning system or something, right?" Jason put in.

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah, makes sense. What do you think we should do to keep her from turning the tables on us with it next time, Tochiro?"

"I think what we need to do is launch a surprise attack, and _then_ henshin, instead of the other way around," Tochiro replied, slowly but confidently.

"What about when we all put the smackdown on Stasher and we could see Airguard inside him?" Jason piped up.

"Yeah. Bes, were you watching the fight? Any idea what that was?" Ryuji said asked.

_"I always do," _Beservor replied. "_And yes, I think I do know what happened. The mechanoid has the ability to suck vast quantities of jewels and other objects into itself, does he not? Even objects of considerable mass can be reduced in size to fit into its tube, such as Airguard and her friend. I sensed some kind of irregular space inside him that must contains the shrunken objects, keeping them at their diminished size, and you must have pierced it when you conducted all of your energy into his body."_

Tochiro leaped up as he heard this. "Then that means we can do it again and get Miaka out, right?"

_"Yes. The space inside him is powerful, but by its very nature, it is also delicate and unstable. But if all of you subject it to your energy it should collapse and everything he's carrying should be restored to normal size,"_ Beservor said matter-of-factly, and there was something in his ethereal voice that said he was proud to be able to do something to help.

"But we already shot our energy into him and it just closed back up," Jason put in.

_"I said _all _of you," _was Beservor's reply.

The ground shook beneath Airguard's feet and a loud _whirr_ing sound suddenly came from all around her. "Nani? Now what?"

"Oh, boy…The robot must be switching back on," Noremi replied, remembering when everything had gone dark and silent about half an hour ago. 

"Great, he's probably going out to fight my friends again." And a moment later when she felt herself and the room around her softened into energy, then hardened into matter again a moment later, she could tell they had just teleported from the Garganstah hideout to Japan.

"What are we going to do?" Noremi asked fearfully. But she already knew the answer; there was nothing they _could_ do. By herself Airguard lacked the power to escape from the robot's stomach or bypass the hand covering the vacuum tube, and there was certainly nothing plain old Noremi could do that would help. But help was closer than they thought.

__

Miaka, can you hear us? Tochiro's voice came wafting into her mind, slowly, pleasantly. Airguard could feel him and four other minds connecting to him and boosting his strength to allow him to make contact.

__

Yes, I can hear you. What's going on now?

We just detected the monster hitting Tokyo again, and Bes thinks he knows how we can get you and your friend out. But we need you to help us or it won't work.

Her spirits flew. _What do I need to do?_

Remember that white hole you could see us through last time? When you see that, use your Hawk Soul Sniper and fire it into there. That should break you out.

I'll do that! Arigato, Tochiro! There was a way out, and her friends had a plan to take advantage of it. Maybe this day could be salvaged after all.

"I'm guessing you're in a better mood now?" Noremi asked hopefully from Airguard's suddenly exuberant comportment.

"I'm just…glad for my friends, and all the things they do for me when I get in trouble," Airguard replied in a whisper.

"Isn't that just part of the deal with you hero teams?"

Airguard looked at Noremi for a long moment, remembered what she had risked her neck to do before for a stranger, and said, "Not at all…not at all."

Stasher was on the warpath now. He passed a couple having a romantic walk through a city park, and sucked them both up after spying the engagement ring on the woman's finger. The light of a streetlamp caught on the screen of an executive's PDA and he was caught too. And Gammaraude watched from a safe distance as her creation sucked up anything he saw that glinted, and the person carrying it as well. The Guardrangers' power must have surely been almost spent after that stunt they pulled in the last battle, and yet she knew they wouldn't stand idly by while their people were threatened. Inside Stasher more and more people appeared in his storage space, prisoners, but Airguard paid little attention. She waited for the sign that her friends were waiting for her to act.

A squad of police soon arrived and opened fire on Stasher, but Gammaraude had increased the power of his vacuum tube and he just sucked up the entire unit, patrol cars and all. What a pathetic planet.

Suddenly something caught Stasher's eye down the street. A dark figure walked across the street, clutching something that glinted red. Immediately Stasher went into action and tried to suck up the luckless carrier of the unknown glinting prize, but the figure was far enough away to resist the pull and ran off down the street. Gammaraude simply shouted, "Catch him! Quickly!" and Stasher did. His giant metal feet smashed potholes into the asphalt as he chased down the strange figure with Gammaraude floating easily behind him. This seemed a little suspicious to her, but the Guardrangers couldn't pull anything on her she wouldn't be ready for with her early warning device.

__

Everything's going according to plan, guys; I'm leading him toward you now, the figure said into the bond that connected his mind to his comrades'.

__

Okay, we'll be ready, another voice replied.

"Yo, Ryu…You know I got nothin' against Tochiro. Hell, he's a great guy. But why have you been giving him so much responsibility to handle, bro?" one of the carrier's comrades asked another after they had closed the link.

"You heard what the Taskmaster said too, Jase. We've all got the conviction, but we still have to learn. He's got to learn to get used to all the weirdness and dangers this job has. Tochiro knows even less about being a superhero than you do, man, and he's spent his whole life in a country infested with them."

Jason nodded. "Can't argue with you there."

The figure ran down street after street, turning corner after corner as Stasher alternated between trying to blast him off his feet and suck him in, but the figure was too quick and had too much of a head start. But the distance was shortening, and Stasher kept up the pursuit.

__

I'm almost there, guys! Are you all ready?

We're ready. Let's just hope we're faster than Gammaraude's gizmo.

The figure darted into an alley sandwiched between two large buildings, only to find his escape blocked a brick wall in one direction, and a hulking alien robot in the other. Stasher's eyes locked onto the red glint in the figure's hand again, and his arm opened up to pull it and its owner in while Gammaraude watched from behind.

Silently, three other shadowy figures jumped off the two buildings around the alley, plummeting toward the ground with trepidation, but not daring to say the two words that would protect them until they had almost hit the ground. The figure in the alley spotted their descent, and readied himself. Suddenly, a voice rang in his head, _Now!_ and he shouted out, **"FOREST…FOCUS!"** Gammaraude's warning device had begun to sound, but it was too late as the three Guardrangers fell out of the sky and kicked her away from her monster.

"All right, guys…NOW!" Fireguard said, and at once his teammates moved to carry out the plan of attack they had devised before coming.

****

"PETRA CROSS SLASH!" Earthguard called and at once a white haze flew over Stasher's frame, covering him a film of rock. She launched herself at Stasher and slashing her Grizzly Claws into the lethal X-formation that branded itself into the stone prison and then erupted into a chaotic explosion of stone shrapnel. 

Waterguard was next. **"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!" **he shouted, and a whirlpool of rushing blue power spiraled from the end of his Orca Brand toward Gammaraude, seized her up and blasted her down the street.

"That won't stop these two for long! C'mon, guys!" Fireguard called, and at once his teammates obeyed. Each drew their Eternablades and filled them with their respective elemental energy, and stabbed them simultaneously into Stasher's body. There was a hissing sound, an electronic shriek of pain from Stasher, and finally a deafening sound like a balloon popping as a pinprick of white light formed on Stasher's torso at the point of contact between it and their weapons. The pinprick began to grow, and through it they could see a tiny room full of people and miscellaneous objects. And in the middle of it all, looking back at them, was Airguard.

"Yatta!"she cheered. "**HAWKWING!"** In a flash her bow was in her hand. In another she nocked an arrow and filled it with her power.

****

"HAWK SOUL SNIPER!" she shouted, then let it fly into the heart of the hole to the outside. The energized arrow, taking on the form a some spectral bird of prey struck home. There was a blinding burst of white and an explosion that knocked everyone off their feet. When it cleared, everyone and everything Stasher had sucked up was scattered haphazardly around the street, and the robot himself sported a gaping hole in his torso. Stasher's damaged insides chugged a few times, gave a feeble wheeze, and he collapsed.

The Guardrangers watched him warily, but a moment later the light in his eyes died out. His threat was ended. "Miina…daijoubu?" Fireguard called to the collection of people they had just freed.

"I've had worse days," Airguard replied, rising out of the clutter. Beside her was Noremi, looking a little bruised but otherwise unharmed.

"Well, I haven't," she grumped. "How in Kami's name do you people stand this kind of thing?"

"Maybe it's just part of the equation," Forestguard replied, his words smooth as a milkshake as always. He slipped the tie pin his uncle had given him into a pocket, finally glad to have gotten some use out of the thing.

"That isn't the only thing," snarled an angry voice behind them. The Rangers whirled around, and there hovered Gammaraude, looking extremely peeved. In one hand she held what looked a lot like a grenade, and it bleeped threateningly at them. She cocked her arm back and hurled it at the Rangers. Forestguard launched the Gorilla Vine, which whipped through the air, grabbed the grenade and flung it into the air away from the civilians where it exploded without doing any harm, but Gammaraude had accomplished her goal.

While the Rangers were worried about her explosive, she'd produced a silver orb the size of a base ball from her belt. Pressing the black button on top of it produced an almost deafening high-pitched sound as it powered up.

"One of my more recent inventions, Rangers! The Titan Orb!" Gammaraude called. She aimed the orb at Stasher's remains and a lightning-like flare of blue energy stabbed out of it and into Stasher's ruined remains. The energy flare went to work at once, its rejuvenating powers driving energy into his lifeless system and rapidly repairing the gaping hole in his chest and the burned spots on his limbs. But it didn't stop there, it stopped when the energy has turned Stasher into a hulking colossus, looking down at the people all over the street like so many ants.

"Oh, boy, looks like it's that time…Guys!" Fireguard said. As one, the Guardrangers called out, "GUARD BEASTS, AWAKEN!" At once the great creatures of the elements roused from their slumber to answer the call. Hellscar flew free from a burning fissure in the earth. Tidalstorm erupted from the depths of the ocean. Terraclaw charged forth from her cave. Treebasher thundered through the forest where he made his home, and Windshear swooped down from the clouds. Within moments the Guard Beasts had arrived, and pulse of light issued forth from them that pulled the Guardrangers aboard. 

Stasher fired his blasters into the Guard Beasts' midst, and though shaken they scattered in time to avoid the brunt of it.

__

Airguard, we all know you had a rough day, but would you care to do the honors?

Rough day? Boy, that's putting it mildly... but I'd be honored. "**IMMORTAL FUSION!!"**

The Guard Beasts moved together in formation in response to the call. Hellscar raced skyward, a column of rainbow-hued light igniting around him. The great dragon's limbs folded upward and in, fire dancing along his armored body. Treebasher followed suit, glowing silver and emerald metal shifting and forming the legs. Tidalstorm and Terraclaw, blazing bright blue and yellow respectively connected as the arms; Windshear, wrapped in a corona of white light took up position at the back, forming the secondary wingspan. Hellscar's head lowered into his chest area revealing the great mecha's head and helmet. Finally, the black dome materialized over Hellscar's head on the chest, the triangular Guardranger symbol appearing in the each of the five sections the dome was segmented into. The elemental energies embraced each other and the gestalt spoke: **"WE ARE THE UNITY! WE ARE... DAICHIJIN!"**

Stasher growled and began to circle his foe of equal proportions, and Daichijin did likewise. Suddenly Stasher aimed and fired his shoulder cannons, rocking Daichijin back on his heels amidst a haze of explosions.

****

"CRYING HAWK!" Airguard shouted, and Daichijin responded by locking Windshear's body onto his wrist and firing a sonic beam that smacked into Stasher and knocked him back. But the robot recovered quickly, turned his back to Daichijin and opened his vacuum tube while Gammaraude watched with satisfaction. Without warning he sucked up a building, then opened his backpack and launched the building at Daichijin!

"**GAIATIC CUTTER!"** Fireguard called, and at once Daichijin's silver sword appeared in his hand. A great sweeping cut sliced the incoming building in two, but Daichijin looked up just to see another coming his way. Daichijin's weapon flashed through the air again and the enormous projectile was cut harmlessly apart before it could strike the giant warrior. But Stasher hadn't let up, and yet another building came flying at him. There was no time to do anything about this one before it plowed into Daichijin and knocked him off his feet. Sparks erupted all over his body, and the Guardrangers cried out as their giant warrior tumbled to the ground. Stasher closed in for the kill.

"We can't keep fighting in close-quarters like this! We just don't have enough reaction time to defend ourselves from those kinds of attacks!" Earthguard shouted.

"I think you're right," Fireguard replied as they struggled to get Daichijin back up. Stasher was about to fire his cannons at them again, but a few vicious swipes of the Gaiatic Cutter stopped him just in time and forced him away. Immediately, Stasher turned his back and sucked another building and a few cars into his body. "Airguard, take us up!"

"Right!" At a mental command from Airguard, Daichijin's wings extended and he lifted off the ground. He flew backwards and gained altitude, and when the building and other debris shot out of Stasher's back at him like before, a Crying Hawk blast obliterated it before it was anywhere near Daichijin.

"Aw, geez! Collateral damage's piling up something awful, guys! I think we better wrap this up!"

"No kidding!" Fireguard replied. **"EARTH RA--"** he began, but suddenly Stasher aimed his vacuum tube at Daichijin's airborne form, which started to wobble and lose altitude as he was sucked closer to the monster! "Kisama! I can't line up a shot! Try to get us steady!" The Guardrangers complied, directing Daichijin to put more power into resisting Stasher's pull. Daichijin began moving against the powerful suction, and Fireguard almost had a straight shot at Stasher, but Stasher suddenly cut off the suction and Daichijin, with all the energy he'd been putting into resisting suddenly meeting no resistance, spun wildly out of control before crashing into the ground.

"He's pounding the daylights out of us! How much more of this can we take?" Airguard yelled anxiously. Daichijin was indeed heading toward a sorry state from all the damage they'd taken, and Stasher fired his cannons at them again, doing even more.

Forestguard looked over at Airguard, panicked and worried as Daichijin shook around them. She'd been through a lot today, he knew, and she looked like she'd about had enough. All of them, in fact. It had been a busy night. But an awareness suddenly came over him, triggered by the desire to help. "Guys, let's get Daichijin back up. I know what to do." The Rangers nodded in affirmation and directed Daichijin to get to his feet, which he did with effort, and Stasher took aim for the finishing blow. But the Rangers were ready.

Forestguard gathered himself, then called out. **"CONGO DYNAMIC!"**

"Say _WHAT?!_" Waterguard shouted, but Daichijin was already responding. Treebasher's bellow could be heard as Daichijin's arms began pumping like pistons, accumulating incredible energy. Stasher fired his shoulder guns, but Daichijin swung an energized fist at the blast and splintered it into nothing. He was about to vacuum up another building to fire at Daichijin, but the giant warrior didn't give him the chance. Daichijin's fists continued pumping as he closed in on Stasher, landing thunderous blow after thunderous blow, shockwaves of force echoing in all directions. Stasher staggered back, and Daichijin reared back his fist, gathering all of the energy into it, and slammed it into Stasher, blowing a baseball field-sized hole right through the thing. The monster howled in electronic agony before tumbling to the ground and exploding into a thousand flaming pieces.

Gammaraude fumed in outrage and Noremi cheered. Daichijin shifted his gaze to her, and Gammaraude tapped a button on a bracelet and vanished in pulse of blue light before he came after her next. A moment later she was back in the Death Gar, safe and sound…until Brannoch found out.

A period of rest, a morning news saturated with reports on the battles from the previous day, and for the time being, life began anew for the people of Tokyo. Miaka left the house for school eagerly, tucking a hastily-wrapped box under her arm. It was under her desk, by her feet through class, and the only thought that went through her head all morning was what she would say when she delivered it. Time passed so slowly the clock seemed to be mocking her, but finally class broke for lunch. Miaka slid into a chair next to Noremi.

"Hi…" she said slowly.

"Where _were_ you???" Noremi asked, though with considerably more concern and less annoyance than Miaka was expecting.

"Not where you think, I bet," Miaka replied. She gently set the gift she'd brought to school in front of her friend. "This is for you. Open it." Noremi did, pulling off the Christmas wrapping paper Miaka had found in the back of the closet. Recognition appeared in Noremi's eyes as she looked at the blue box she had just revealed, and she gasped in pleased delight when she flipped the top open and a glass angel holding a crescent moon popped up and began to play a sweet little tune.

"You got it! But how--"

"I went to borrow some money from another friend. I figured with all the secrets I've been keeping from you lately, it was the least I could do to make up."

"The least you could do would be to tell me what's going on," Noremi replied softly.

"I can't. Gomen, Noremi-chan. Believe me, if it were that easy, I would've done it long before this. But I want you to know our friendship still matters to me. Very much."

Noremi smiled and shut the box. "It matters to me, too." And all the worry and frustration went away.

Tochiro's train trip to a park inspection was fairly routine, and his mind wasn't really on it. His wallet was a little leaner this morning than it had been the night before, but it had been to help a friend in trouble, so he hadn't complained.

This Guardranger stuff seemed like it was getting bigger and asking more of them all the time. And having always taken superheroes for granted, the one who hated to complicate things, he was the one who felt it the most. And things were probably only going to get heavier as Garganstah continued to antagonize them. Who knew when the next time that happened would be, and what threat it would entail?

He looked around at a woman with her two children next to him, a middle-aged businessman barking into a cell phone next to her, and a young woman and her aged mother sitting together even further down. Yesterday it had just been Miaka and her friend he had motivated himself to save. But in truth every single person in this city was depending on every member of a team like his to do their job when a monster showed up and started making trouble, not just two teenage girls.

The thought was a little overwhelming as he looked out the window at all the people on the streets from somewhere to somewhere, in cars, on bikes, on foot. Each a life that was in his hands whenever he called on the power of the world to change him into Forestguard. Then he forced the thought out of his mind. Being brave and sticking with this to honor his promise to Miaka was one thing, but thinking of all those people…would there come a time when being responsible for all of them didn't scare him? Tochiro didn't know. But he suspected that before all was said and done, he'd have to face up to the fact that he wasn't just helping his friends.

But there was thing that brought him some measure of comfort as the train continued on:

At least he didn't have to worry about doing it alone.


	11. Episode 11:Sun, Surf, and Sea Monster

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 11:Sun, Surf, and Sea Monster

By David Anderson and Derek Pryor

Right from the minute I woke up, I could tell something was gonna happen. I suppose that should've warned me right there that trouble was brewing, but I was still pretty inexperienced about that kind of thing. And after our last few battles, I felt like there was nothing Garganstah could serve up that we couldn't handle.

By the way, name's Jason Marger. But then you guys probably already know about me.

I was one of the last to show up as Sports Silver was opening that morning. It still felt kind of funny, going to work in a sporting goods store when I probably had more than enough money in the bank to buy the place, but with things being what they were I didn't feel like I should have a job that might call me away.

As we started turning on the lights and opening the cash registers for the day, a hot wind whipped in through the front doors, bushing up against my shirt. All at once I felt like I wasn't in the store about to start work for the day. I felt like I was back on the beach, surrounded by screaming fans and about to give them the greatest show I possibly could out on the waves. It only lasted a second, but it made me think of what I'd much rather be doing than ringing up sports equipment and whatnot all day. But maybe if Garganstah was quiet for a few days…

"Yo, newbie! Get your butt in gear, kid! Start stacking the jars in that box over there," one of the senior staffers whose name I couldn't remember called at me, snapping me out of my daydream. If he only knew who it was he'd been yelling at…

Of course I was there to make a living, not get into fights with people. So I down to it, slicing open the box and starting to unpack it. But of course, what turned out to be in the box just made me think about what I'd be doing if I didn't have to be there. Jars of wax. For surfboards. A brand I usually used, at that. I wasn't surprised. I'd been told about this a couple of days beforehand and what to tell customers who seemed interested, but it was getting harder to keep my mind on work. I just imagined the feel of the sea spray against my skin and in my hair, the smell of salt water, and the weight of my board under my arm…

But that was if I made it to the weekend. For now the clacking of the jars to each other was the closest thing to companionship I had as I racked the jars and turned them so the labels faced forward. And yeah…it was about as exciting as it sounds.

As in, not at all.

Major sigh.

But then the doors slid open and two tall, skinny guys walked into the store. Both had on sneakers, jams, and tank tops--standard surfer gear-- but the guy on the left had on a worn-out leather jacket--probably more to look "cool" than on account of the weather--on over a faded Hawaiian shirt, and can I tell you I can't think of a greater sin than not taking care of your leather jacket? But they were heading straight for me, and I was pretty sure they had other things on their minds than jacket maintenance.

"Hey, man, you know anything about surfboards?" the one in the jacket asked me with bravado. He walked up to me with this totally obvious swagger in his stride and one of those superior smiles on his face that even a fool can see through .

"A little bit, what can I do for you dudes?" I really wasn't supposed to call the customers "dudes," but that was just my _modus operandi_, and I didn't think these guys would complain.

What can I say? I gotta be me.

"We're going out to the coast with some friends--major wave riders, but we're running low on wax and cash. Can you recommend something?" the other one, who seemed to be in charge, replied, making an obvious effort to sound as on-control as he possibly could.

They were rookies, I knew it right off. They were trying to look cool and together, but were probably on their way to their first surf outing ever. Every surfer worth his salt would know about something as basic as a good kind of board wax, and they were probably only there to get wax in the first place on the advice of a more experienced friend. But I had been like that too when I was still a newbie, so I just played along.

"Well guys, I get good results from the kind Golden Sky makes, which is what I'm shelving here. It's cheaper than most of the stuff out there, and your purchase gets marked down 10% if you buy at least five."

"Why the discount?" the lead rookie asked.

"Well, this store didn't start selling surfing equipment until just a couple of weeks ago. Not many good places to go boarding in the heart of Tokyo, y'know?" I replied. "But the owner thought maybe people on their way to the ocean might stop off for supplies before leaving, so he's trying to give the store a good rep with the discount."

"Awesome," the other rookie, said, digging out a wallet as tattered as his jacket. His friend grabbed an armload of jars straight from the box at my feet. "Thanks a lot, man," he grinned at me.

"Hey, ain't I seen you somewhere before?" the first rookie asked, regarding me strangely.

"I don't think so, but I get that a lot," I replied. They shrugged, but thanked me again for the help and made their way to the check-out lines.

_At least they'll probably have a good time at the ocean today_, I thought as I got back to work. Was I jealous? I dunno. I mean, I was in Sports Silver stocking shelves of my own decision, after all. But it was summer in Japan at last, the season to enjoy the sea. And I think that I, of all people, have a special reason to enjoy the sea.

Another pair of customers entered, and the hot summer wind roared up for a second and then vanished as the doors closed behind them. It would still be there when I clocked out, but for now, there was nothing but a bunch of empty shelves and my thoughts of the beach to keep me company.

Lucky me.

Brannoch strode slowly through the hydroponics gardens of the Death Gar. Several of the garden technicians followed behind, nervously awaiting his assessment of what their work produced.

"The vegetables look healthy," Brannoch remarked passively.

"Yes, sire, absolutely," one of the workers in parade behind him remarked at once. "We take our jobs here very seriously." Then he said something else that took his fellow garden workers aback. "But sire, when are we going to be able to descend to Earth and plant our harvests there?"

Brannoch sighed. "Soon, I wish I could say. But until the Guardrangers are out of our way I will not endanger our people by trying to settle on Earth. I expect a report from Sharaki on a new attack plan soon."

Brannoch fumed inwardly. Just thinking about the Guardrangers made his covered eye ache beneath the crimson metal that covered it. He hadn't forgotten how that happened. And how could he forget how those colorful demons of nature haunted his dreams? He would see them dead before he would send his people to the now backward planet that was once their home.

Brannoch plucked a tomato out of a planting box and bit into it. He savored silently it for a moment, then took another bite. With a gulp he finished it.

"Sire? Is everything all right?" one of the workers asked nervously.

"With your work, absolutely. The quality of your produce is magnificent. I can't wait to see what you can create once you're not confined to indoor gardens any longer. But I have other things to attend to now. See you next week, gentlemen, and keep feeding our people." The doors at the end of the gardens slid open and Brannoch walked through them and into the halls beyond.

The duties of an Emperor were many. At times he was glad for all the other things that he was responsible for, so he had something to get the Guardrangers out of his mind. Especially now that his forces were battling them once again. What was next on his inspection tour? The power plants, his list said, though just looking up and down the brightly-lit halls told him there was no need for that. Why not the Animatium refinery instead? They'd probably still need some Animated Warriors and Silicons to keep the peace even after the Guardrangers were out of the way. Which hopefully wouldn't be long...

Brannoch snapped his fingers and an instant later was outside the refinery. He tapped the door and it opened, a multitude of hissing vats greeting him as he stepped inside. They were processing the special mixture of metals that created Animatium, that precious alloy that could be brought to life in any form they chose. And what a boon that was to Garganstah. How many brave soldiers had died to sustain their Empire before Animatium had been developed? And the creatures that it gave rise to were far more powerful than any subject of Garganstah willing to wield a sword in his Emperor's name.

After a moment a foreman realized they had a visitor, and rose to greet him. "Emperor Brannoch, we didn't expect you this early," he said, bowing deferentially.

"I can tell the power plant's still working so your inspection was moved up. How is production coming, Sarth?" Brannoch said, cutting right to the point.

"Stockpiles are nearly full, sire." Sarth replied. "A slab was sent to the workshop this morning by Baron Sharaki's order, though."

"So he's gotten to work already, good. How are you for the ore ingredients to make more Animatium?"

"Between Animatium that's already been processed into slabs and raw materials to make more, we could create a hundred Animated Warriors."

"What about Silicons?"

"Ten thousand according to yesterday's figures. And materials enough to make nearly three times that number yet."

"Excellent. Get to work on that, gentlemen, we may need them soon." Brannoch was about to leave the chamber housing the refinery when a messenger suddenly materialized before him, using one of the spatial transplanter devices they'd been given by Gammaraude after moving into the Death Gar. 

"Emperor Brannoch, Baron Sharaki has returned from Earth and is waiting to report his progress to you," he said.

_He's back early_, Brannoch thought. "Very well, I will hear his report." With a snap of his fingers Brannoch vanished and reappeared in his throne room. Sharaki was already kneeling before the twin thrones.

"I'm glad to see you're so prompt," Brannoch said and walked past Sharaki to seat himself on his throne.

"Thank you, sire," Sharaki replied, glad to get another shot at the Guardrangers so soon.

"Think nothing of it. Now speak. An Emperor's time is precious."

"Well, sire, as per my plan one of my men has been stationed off the coast of Japan."

"I said an Emperor's time is precious, Sharaki. I already know that you sent one of your soldiers to Earth. Tell me what I don't know," Brannoch said, not angry or impatient, but merely eager to hear this and carry on with his scheduled duties for the day.

"Yes, sire. He will attack and occupy the area, and once we have established a foothold there we can send another warrior to occupy another area further inland until we reach the nation's capital. After that we can attack in force and dominate the entire country of Japan. Then we can repeat the process for the other nations of the Earth, starting at the fringes and moving inward."

Brannoch drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne in silence for a minute. "It sounds like a time-consuming process."

"It does indeed, sire, but you have said yourself how formidable the Guardrangers are, especially with the new powers they've developed. It would be better to gradually build our influence than to hastily rush in and run a greater risk of defeat. They do indeed seem a greater menace than most races we have battled."

"Spoken like a true soldier. But the Guardrangers would be sure to hear of an invader attacking the coast of their country."

"I've already dispatched Silicons to aid him. But Drallion is much stronger than Rodim was. And he's perfectly suited to battle in the environment where he's been stationed."

"Very well, Sharaki. Proceed, but I want to take over the coast and move inland as soon as possible."

"It shall be done."

"Excellent. Now be gone and see to it."

"Thank you, sire," Sharaki replied with a bow before rising and leaving the room. His loss to the Guardrangers had been the first time he had tasted defeat in a very long time. But in a way, he was glad the foes he was facing on the last planet in Garganstah's string of conquests were not the pushovers they had battled on so many other worlds. Glorious conquest would be a thing of the past for Garganstah once Earth had fallen.

Once more, Sharaki thought about what that would mean for the Barons of Garganstah, the holders of power who commanded the Empire's warriors. There would be no more enemies to fight, aside from the odd uprising. And fighting was all he knew...

"Good morning, Sharaki. How goes your attack plan?" said Gammaraude, suddenly appearing beside him as if from nowhere.

"Very well, it so happens," Sharaki replied guardedly, since he could tell there was a mocking tone in her voice.

"I hope so, for your sake. You got off pretty easy for letting down the Emperor."

"You fared no better than I, dear woman," Sharaki retorted.

Gammaraude chuckled. "Ah, but it's not my useful life that will be over when someone _does_ defeat them. The Empire's going to need someone to reacquaint it with the properties of Earth's resources and see about raising Gargan. You're only good for leading an army, for solving problems with that famous sword of yours. Won't it be ironic if you do bring back the Guardrangers' heads? You'll have put yourself out of a job. A soldier without a war. All dressed up and no one to destroy."

"At least I'll have gone out gloriously fighting foes worthy of my mettle." Sharaki replied coolly. "I so hope you enjoy those lonely nights in the laboratory, Gammaraude."

Gammaraude just grimaced, but Sharaki could tell he had gotten to her. Gammaraude was a brilliant woman who was excellent at what she did and was justifiably proud of all the things her hard work had brought her. And like Sharaki, her work was her life. But unlike Sharaki, there were things she craved beyond her scientific accomplishments.

"It's your life, Sharaki. Keep on living in your archaic ways if that's what fulfills you. But better you end up defeating the Guardrangers than that heathen, Vandread," she said a moment later.

"Amen to that," Sharaki replied. And the two Barons parted ways.

The day was warm and pleasant on Japan's south coast (Ed. note: come back and specify where). Children splashed happily in the water while their parents kept a watchful eye on them, and teenagers on summer holiday were playing volleyball and Frisbee up and down the sand. A few were waxing up surfboards while their girlfriends looked on. It was a good day to enjoy the sea.

Beneath the water was someone who was enjoying the sea as well, but not for nearly the same reasons. He looked up at the people cavorting along the beach and the ones that had ventured into the water. Mindless chattel. They would be no obstacle to him at all. But it was time for him to shake the cage a little, and he surveyed the innocent beachgoers more closely. Most of them were packed too closely together for him to do what he needed to do at this phase in the plan, but near the end of the beach was a small child, probably no more than three, who had wandered away from his parents. Perfect for what he had in mind.

With an effortless grace and inhuman speed the unseen assailant knifed through the deep water to the shallows where the child was wading. He chose his moment carefully, when the child looked away, and made his move. Four long, tentacle-like arms shot out of the water and seized the child, then pulled him beneath the water. The child barely had time to let out a cry of surprise before vanishing into the salty depths with a splash. Even as the boy's parents turned to see what the trouble might be, his abductor was speeding away with captive in tow.

This would do for now, to scare the humans into worrying that a stranger was among them. A stranger who intended no good for them. His captive's parents were already beginning to panic and run up and down the beach in search of their missing offspring, with others joining them to find out what was going on. Step one had gone off without a hitch. Sharaki would be pleased, the intruder thought as he made his way to rendezvous.

The day's work went a lot faster than I thought it would, and it wasn't long before I forgot all about the weird feeling I'd had when I woke up. A bunch of other people--some surfers, some not--came up to me asking for recommendations on sports equipment and beach toys to take with them on vacation. Helping out so many other on their way to enjoy the ocean did my heart good, so by the time the sky turned red I was almost enjoying myself.

That didn't mean I missed the guys for the night shift coming in to take over, the hot wind of the day blowing through the doors as they entered only slightly chilled by the early night. I punched out and jogged out into the streets. Streetlights were just coming to life, and people were still thick in the streets, but there really wasn't any reason for them not to be. The menace the Guardrangers and me would have to take on was striking far from the heart of Tokyo.

But none of us knew anything about that then. And all I knew was that I was finally off work, and felt like taking it easy. It was too late in the day to see if Bes would let me swing by the coast to cut up the waves a little, so I thought instead I'd stop in and see how my best buddy was getting along as I disappeared into the mess of people covering the sidewalks.

Finally I reached a train station and jumped onto the line that would stop near the Golden Bushel. As I did, I started to wonder about Ryuji.

We'd met when he'd been visiting his aunt and uncle in Hawaii and I'd been there for a surfing contest. I mean, what else? We hit it off, then went out and got blitzed together that night. Yeah, that doesn't sound like the kind of thing that would lead to a lasting friendship, I guess, but you'd be surprised. We spent a lot of time together over the next few days I was there competing, and he turned out to be my biggest cheerleader (except for the girls, of course) and we got pretty tight during all that. After he went home and I stayed on the surfing circuit we stayed in touch. Imagine how surprised I was when I found out that not only was I a Guardranger, so was he.

But Ryuji seemed different after a while. He had used to be so easygoing and willing to have a good time, except when he had to work. But that had started to change…and by the time we had gotten Daichijin and started fighting Garganstah for real Ryuji hardly cracked a smile at all. I was worried; the only thing I could blame for the change was being a Guardranger, but why didn't it effect me that way? I mean…what was being Fireguard doing to my best friend?

I looked around and saw there were twenty-some other people in the car I took, each looking like they had their own demon sitting on their shoulders. I could only wonder what some of them might be, but none looked interested in hearing about mine, so I just sat in silence while I waited for the ride to end.

A young woman sitting next to me ended a conversation I didn't follow on her cell phone and then returned it to her purse. She looked over at me for a second, a little icily, then turned away. I wondered what was on her mind (ed. Look into synonyms of "wonder"). For a second I thought maybe she was a spy for Garganstah, but calmed myself down. That was ridiculous. They didn't know who we were.

The woman turned toward me again, looked at me a little more intently, and just as I was getting nervous she asked, "Aren't you somebody famous?"

"Well, I dunno if I'd say _famous_," I responded, feeling even stupider for thinking maybe she was a spy. While I wasn't going to turn my back on my duty, I silently refused to let being a Guardranger change me too. "I've been in a couple surfing contests."

"My brother's really into that kind of thing. He and one of his friends are going out to the ocean for a few days to be with a bunch of other surfing fanatics," she said.

"Oh yeah? Does one of them wear a ratty leather jacket?" I asked.

"Yeah! Even in weather like this!" she said. "Isn't that crazy? Wait a minute, how would you know?"

"I think I sold them surfing equipment this morning. I work at a sporting goods store a couple blocks from the station we just left. Name's Jason Marger."

The woman looked at me. "I think I've heard him say that name, but it's been a while. He and his buddy talked a lot more about somebody named…Eiji Mizumi. Some really big guy in their circle, I guess."

"Eiji Mizumi?!" I said, louder than I must have thought, because most of the people in the car started to stare sternly at us, but nobody told me to shut up. "Eiji Mizumi's a legend! He's ridden higher waves than anyone all over the world! He had a technique nobody could match!"

"Could?" she asked inquisitively.

"Well, nobody's seen him for about five years. But since I got my first board I wanted to be like him," I said. "I still do."

She looked at me thoughtfully. "Well, there's nothing wrong with that. But I think you'd be better off being like yourself."

She caught me by surprise. "What?" I asked.

She smiled mysteriously, but then the train began to glide to a halt and the doors opened. She picked up her purse and was off the train and vanishing into the crowd before I could even think of going after her.

Y'know…to this day, I still don't know who the heck she was.

A couple stops later I got off. I was in the heart of the Ueno section of Tokyo, and though people were thinning out with the vanishing sun, Tokyo never really slept. And so I had to push and shove a little to get through the crush of people getting off the train at that stop too.

Nothing worth getting excited over happened during the trip from the station to the Golden Bushel, but it was still pretty well before closing time when I got to the little restaurant, so I was sure I could still find Ryuji with him and jaw a little before I went home. Maybe now that he was settling into his role, he'd be acting a little more mellow, I thought.

Nobody stopped me as I walked behind the counter and into the back. But they never do, anyways. The crew over there knows I'm tight with Ryuji and they're a friendly bunch of guys. But the tables were full in the dining room, and so I wasn't surprised to see Ryuji decked out in cap and apron helping take the load off the other chefs in the kitchen.

"I hope you washed your hands before you came back here," he said, glancing up at me I as came in.

"Aw, come _on_, man! Is that how you say hi to your best friend now? Where's the love, man?"

Ryuji sighed. He sounded dead tired, too. "Gomen, Jase. I'm just burned out. Had a lot more customers than usual today. All week, in fact."

I'll admit I had kinda expected him to be a lot more harsh than that, since he had been changing so much. Maybe being Fireguard wasn't being as hard on him as I thought.

"Well, that's good, right?" I asked. "I know you've wanted to get a bigger crowd in here for a while now."

"Yeah, of course it is, Jase. It's just that it's been coming at me faster than I thought it would. A LOT faster." Ryuji wiped his forehead. "It's wearing me out."

"Hey, I can relate, man. Hell, I've been doing honest work for the first time in a long time," I said, trying to lighten the mood. I got a mild chuckle out of him for that, but that was it. 

Hey, it was better than nothing.

But then something hit the both of us, like an itch at the back of the brain. A familiar voice rumbled gently through our heads.

_Rangers, assemble at the Earth Sanctum at once. I fear Garganstah has returned._

"Oh, brother…" Ryu sighed softly in annoyance and waved to one of the other chefs. "Keitaro, I need to go. Could you let this sit for about two minutes, then stir it a little and take it over to the table five?"

"No problem, Ryuji," the young chef replied. Then Ryuji and me left the Golden Bushel in silence.

Neither of us said a word on the way to the Earth Sanctum. Ryuji seemed like he was a million miles away as we took a train to Tokyo Tower, since we didn't think we could get into a wind tunnel unnoticed, and I guess I couldn't blame him. He _did_ have a more demanding position on the team than me, and had to work harder than me even in his real life. And even though I had recently rejoined the work force, I admit I had nothing on him.

"Ryu, man, I--"

"Later, okay, Jase? We're on call." At least he was still calling me "Jase." He only stopped doing that when he was really ticked. But I could imagine how he felt. The restaurant was packed when we left, and there were probably gonna be grumpy customers who didn't get served fast enough because he wasn't there lending a hand.

We approached the base of the tower, and without even having to let Bes know we were there, a glowing gateway that only we could see appeared, and we walked through it, unnoticed by the people passing by.

Ryuji and me reappeared at the top of a familiar staircase, and as we did the lights came on. That meant we were the first to get there. As we went down, I thought about what being Fireguard was doing to Ryuji. He used to be so mellow except about running his restaurant, what had happened? Actually, I knew the answer to that, but the question then was why wasn't it affecting me the way it was him? Was being in charge that much of a difference?

We walked into the main room, and Bes immediately said, "Good evening, Guardrangers. Thank you for responding so quickly. I hope the others will soon arrive."

"I can't wait," I muttered, but I don't think he heard, and I was glad he didn't. I didn't have it in me to get into an argument I couldn't win.

Ryuji took a seat at the table and I took the one across from him. He got right down to business. "What did you call us for?"

"I'd prefer to wait until the others arrive. There are things I can show you here I could not over our mental link, and I hate to repeat myself besides, as you know."

"I didn't know that, actually, but if you say so," Ryu replied. I couldn't read anything about what he was thinking or feeling from how he said it.

Bes made a flustered sound, then said, "Indeed." It made me wonder for a second what he had done to pass the time for four thousand years while he was waiting for us to come back.

We didn't have to wait long for the others to show up. A couple minutes later we heard two people coming down the stairs, and Tochiro and Miaka came into the room.

"Ohayo, miina, what's going on?" Miaka said as she and Tochiro sat down.

"We're just waiting for the last part of this party to get here before Bes gives us the lowdown," I said, "He hates repeating himself, you know."

"Emph. Indeed," the old magician said. Miaka giggled quietly.

"Hey Jase, something bothering you?" Tochiro suddenly asked me.

Tochiro's one of the nicest guys the world's ever seen. Seriously, I've never met a more calm, peaceful, and totally laid-back guy than him. But what none of us will ever forget about him is the way he can "read" living things. Whether it's a person, or a wild animal, or a plant. I'm still not sure if it's got something to do with his Guardranger powers, or if it's just a gift he has. But anyway, I wasn't surprised he could tell I was kind of down in the mouth even though I didn't think I was showing it.

"Nothing, man. I'm fine," I said, and he accepted and it and started chatting with Miaka even though he didn't seem to believe me. I wasn't surprised that he didn't, though. He probably could've said exactly what was bothering me if I asked him.

Ryuji didn't say anything while Miaka and Tochiro made small talk. He just stared into space while he waited. He was usually so talkative, even after agreeing to be our leader.

"Ryu, you okay?" I asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah," he yawned, "Crowds at the Bushel kicked my butt all day, and now we're gonna have to go run out and save the world tonight."

"Maybe you need to mellow out a little, bro," I offered, trying not to sound pushy.

"Maybe I do," he sighed, looking me in the face with an expression I couldn't identify. And that bothered me from a friend I was trying to keep from becoming someone I didn't know or understand.

A little later there was the sound of footsteps in the stairway and finally Naoko entered, hair and jacket still mussed from being blown to the center of Tokyo along one of our wind tunnels. "Gomenesai. They kept me late at the Institute."

"Don't worry about it," Ryuji said, "But now that everybody's here, let's get this meeting started, okay?"

The colored wisps of light that usually bounced around inside of Bes's crystal ball faded away and it started to glow white, then a beam shot out of it and into a screen in the wall. Gradually a landscape appeared, a beach teeming with people. "Today a young boy vanished here, at a beach on the south coast of the island. I registered an inhuman life form in the vicinity at the time, but then it vanished."

"So why do you think it's Garganstah?" Ryuji asked. "One kid seems awfully small considering they're after the whole world."

"I agree, but I detected a faint resonance of Genesis energy, the kind found in all of Garganstah's monstrous soldiers, in the area. I've been probing that area for hours looking for any other sign of whoever is responsible, but I couldn't find anything distinct, so I called you to discuss a plan."

"If Garganstah is up to something there, we should probably have someone stake out the area for a while," Naoko immediately suggested.

"That's a good idea," Miaka added, "When they come back we can catch 'em with their pants down!"

"That _is_ a good idea," Ryuji said, "But who's gonna go? I'm up for it."

"Not me, gomen," Tochiro replied, "I'll come if you find anything, but I've been getting way behind with my work lately thanks to having to fight Garganstah so much."

"I'm in the same boat, I'm afraid," Naoko added, "I've got an avalanche of papers covering my desk at the Institute that I haven't even touched."

"I can come!" Miaka chimed in, energetic and enthusiastic as always, but suddenly her face fell, "…as soon as I catch up on my voice lessons…drat."

"I can probably get out of work for a day or two," I said.

"Then I guess it's just us two, man," Ryuji responded, with a comradely smile on his face I hadn't seen in ages.

"Yep, looks like it," I replied, feeling like things were back to normal between us.

"Meet me here in the morning and then we'll go stake the place out."

"Good luck, you two," Miaka said.

_Yeah_, I thought, _good luck to us…_

Sharaki stood on the shore of a small island his sword embedded blade-first in the sand. The sun had vanished beyond the horizon more than an hour ago, and the moonlight on the water was the only thing around to hold his attention. Drallion must have decided to go for a few extra victims.

A heavy wave of cloud cover suddenly covered the moon. He heard a splash as the surface of the water was broken down the beach, and a dark figure emerged. Its feed made squelching sounds as they approached Sharaki across the stretch of wet sand, and while a human would have been terrified were this to happen to them, Sharaki knew exactly what was coming toward him.

"How has it gone, Drallion?" he asked.

"Excellent, sir," the figure replied. The cloud moved away and as the dim light returned one could make out what he was, and it wasn't anything pleasant.

Drallion was a seven-foot-tall alien being, with a human body, arms and legs, but the similarities ended there. He had a huge bulbous head with a tiny, beady eye set into either side of it. Between them, where a human's mouth would be, was a razor-sharp beak instead. His red skin was thick and rubbery, and six long tentacles dangled to the ground from around his neck.

"I abducted some children today, as per your instructions. The absence of my victims was noticed, but I am sure that I was not," Drallion went on.

"And what has become of them?"

"They are back in the nest I've made, undergoing the transformation. The results will be interesting to see," Drallion said, punctuating his remark with a sadistic chuckle.

"Indeed…," Sharaki replied, but there was a thick note of disgust to his tone. The very idea of using children as cat's-paws in this scenario sickened him. And Drallion was taking far too much pleasure in it. "Tomorrow, I want you to escalate things a bit. Capture some adults, but don't let yourself be seen yet. The time for that will come soon enough."

"Of course, sir," Drallion replied. "Shall I return to the Death Gar for the night, then?"

"If you think your…process can do without the supervision."

"Of course it can. By tomorrow night we'll be able to launch a siege if you see fit."

And with that the two of them shimmered, then turned into spheres of light and vanished away into the night sky.

Next morning, Ryuji was up about an hour before I was, getting his restaurant ready to go on without him for a few days. I'd gotten my Range Rover out of the storage garage I'd put it in the last time I'd been in Japan. I wasn't really sure if we'd need it on the beach, but I figured it couldn't hurt to have some four-wheel-drive horsepower just in case. I still had two of my best boards strapped on the luggage rack and a couple of wetsuits.

"Jase, no! No way!"

"Why not?" I asked him as he put his duffle bag in the right-hand seat.

"For one thing, we'd never fit your board inside of a wind tunnel! And why are you putting all your surfing gear in here anyway? We're on call."

"Because, dude, if there's a monster attack up there we'll know it. Why can't we try to unwind a little bit while we're out at the beach?" I answered.

"Jase, this is Guard buisness. Not a field trip." 

"Oh come on, man! I need to make sure I don't get rusty, and I can give you some lessons while we're out there."

Ryuji looked at me like I was nuts. "Oh, no…forget it. Once was enough."

"C'mon, bro…even I wiped out a lot when I was still learning. Everyone does out before they get the hang of it," I said.

"Wipes out, yeah. Gets knocked out by his own board when he comes up for air, no," Ryuji came back. I had to laugh at the faint shade of red coming into his face. "Jase, c'mon…we can't take all this stuff to the stakeout."

"Okay, you don't have to carry anything. I'll handle it."

"Dude, we're here on business," he said, the serious look that I came to detest coming into his face. "We can't afford to get caught off-guard with some Garganstah stooge-monster running all over the place."

I sighed, trying not to look too irritated. "Ryu, there's no law saying we can't relax a little while we're keeping an eye out. Y'know, all work, no play, yadda, yadda, yadda."

Ryuji rolled his eyes. "Again with this, Jase?" he asked me.

"Yeah, again with this until it finally sinks in," I came back flatly. "Ryu…I know I've said this about a hundred times in the past few weeks, but I can't keep my mouth shut about it until something changes," I took a breath. "Being Fireguard…it's changing you, man."

Suddenly something caught my eye. I saw a kid playing in the water suddenly disappear with a tiny splash. It seemed like nobody else had noticed, but I could just make out a big black shape underneath the water not far away…

I leaned a different way, steering my board toward that shape. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ryu get up and start to run down the beach the way I was going. He must've noticed something was up, but at the time I didn't think of that, I was zeroing in on the shape in the water. _Now _it was time to think like a hero.

I dove off my board and into the water, where I saw what the shape was. A big, orange octopus-like monster was hovering there. I'll spare you guys the details, but let me just tell you-- this thing put the "UG" in ugly…I mean, yeesh… 

He had something shaped like the kid I had just seen under his arm, but it was covered in some kind of black oily stuff. But that didn't hold my attention long. I brought up my wrist, and somehow even though I was underwater, the words came out loud and clear.

"**WATER…FOCUS!"** The power started to sweep me up again, but it felt stronger than ever, probably because I was in my element as I called it up. The monster turned to look just as my uniform finished weaving itself and my helmet materialized, and by then I'd given a command to the water and it had started propelling me straight at him. Before he knew what hit him I'd grabbed him by a pair of tentacles dangling off his head, then with another command to the water I gave him a swing, and a whirlpool whipped up with myself in the center and Octo-Boy caught in the current as he went around and around helplessly. Finally I let go, dispersed the whirlpool and smashed him into the shore.

The thing seemed dazed so I focused my attention to the poor kid still clenched under his arm. His eyes were still wide open, and his mouth contorted in the scream he must've been giving when the monster caught him. But he was still covered in that black gunk, and I knew I had to move fast.

**"ORCA BRAND!"** I shouted, my words again somehow carrying through the water, and in a swirl of blue light my weapon was in hand. The monster had recovered and was swimming at me, and boy did he look mad. But that didn't stop me. **"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!"** The trademark whirlpool attack blasted out of my blaster rod, a heck of a lot stronger than normal--hell, the backlash must've shoved me back fifteen feet as it blasted toward Drallion, kicking up a blizzard of water bubbles. I had to wonder if the people on the beach could tell what was going on, but a second later I had something else to worry about. My blast smashed into Drallion, but he didn't get blown away or lose his grip on the kid under his arm like I was expecting. Instead, the tentacles around his neck started spinning around, faster and faster, whipping another whirlpool of his own that hit mine and started to overpower it. I tried to juice up my attack, but Drallion's just kept coming.

Now, I'm not really comfortable admitting what came next, but I like to think I've always been an honest guy. So though it hurts my pride, I'll tell you what happened next. His attack blew me out of the water. Literally. After that whirlpool hit me, the next thing I knew I must have been forty feet in the air and coming down fast on the beach.

People saw me coming and ran away screaming from where I was gonna land. I saw Ryu off to the side, raising his bracelet. He caught sight of me flying over his head (how could he _not?_), and took off in the direction I was heading. Even though he was my best friend, I didn't blame him for not trying to catch me or anything…I mean, with the speed I was building up anybody I landed on would probably be smashed into dog food. And I was a Guardranger, I'd be okay. I hoped.

I heard a loud whumph as I hit land, and a huge cloud of sand kicked up around me. Pain shot through me and a few sparks lit up, but it didn't feel like anything too serious. When the sandstorm died down around me, Ryu was crouching next to me in the crater I'd made, his hands bracing my shoulders. "You okay, dude?" he asked.

"Ugh…yeah. That's the first time I've ever wiped out _without _my board, though. You better suit up and get ready to rumble if you want us to stay upright and conscious," I replied.

**"FIRE…FOCUS!"** Ryu shouted, and his bracelet flared. I could feel the heat energy he was channeling as his uniform appeared around him, then Hellscar's profile for a split-second as it super-imposed over Ryu's head, forming his helmet. The screams of terror were fading into the distance. The people had probably learned by then that whenever a sentai hero's around trouble's brewing. But then I heard a huge splash, like something big had just come out of the water. And I was right, because a second later the monster appeared over the edge of the crater I'd just made and spat some kind of black goo at us from the tentacles on his neck. I grabbed the Orca Brand and dove one way out of the whole and Fireguard went the other. I heard the goo hissing as it hit the bottom of the pit.

I hit the sand in a forward roll and got to my feet, just in time to see Fireguard swing into his fighting stance and started to circle Drallion. I gripped the Orca Brand and started going the other way. Drallion, because that was his name, looked at me, then Fireguard, then back to me, coming at him from opposite directions. But he didn't look scared. Instead he set the kid down, and suddenly the tentacles around his neck swung up and sprayed that black stuff at Fireguard. He was fast and jumped over the monster's head and out of the way, but then Drallion turned and sprayed it at me.

Common sense probably would've told me to jump out of the way, or duck under it and attack or something like that. But I didn't think along those lines. Maybe I wanted to prove myself to my friend, maybe I was just thinking that the best defense was a good offense. I was cupped my hands and shouted, **"ABSOLUTE ZERO!"**

A ball of white energy formed in my hands and I fired it at the inky stuff coming toward me. The two hit each other and the freezing energy of my attack spread over the ink and crystallized it. Then I jumped at the monster, aiming the Orca Brand at where I hope his heart would be as I came down. But Drallion was faster than he looked and two tentacles shot out, one smacking me away from him and the other pulling my battlerod out of my hands.

**"DRAGON STEEL!"** I heard Fireguard yell, as he swung his sword at Drallion's back. As I hit the ground, though, I could see Drallion's tentacles whip out behind him, snake around Fireguard's arm and then fling him into the air. He landed near me a second later.

"This is pathetic!" Drallion said, "I wasn't expecting to fight you so soon, but I was expecting to fight more than two of you when I did! Your friends too scared to fight Garganstah anymore?" He moved forward to attack again, but suddenly there was a flash of green light in the sky and a ball of light came shooting down. It started to change as it got near the ground, growing arms and legs, and the next thing we knew it had changed into Sharaki.

"Drallion, you aquatic imbecile, what do you think you're doing?!" he demanded, "You weren't supposed to call attention to yourself!"

"These two found me! What was I supposed to do?" Drallion complained.

Sharaki looked us over as we got up, then he mumbled, "I prefer this sort of conquest anyway." He pointed his sword at us, "Guardrangers, prepare to defend yourselves!" Then he and Drallion started to close in.

_Aw, geez…any ideas, man?_ I thought to Fireguard.

_Yep. Hit 'em hard and fast, _was all he said in reply. So we did.

**"DRAGON HELLBURST SLASH!"** Fireguard yelled, charging up his sword. He swung it at Sharaki and a giant pillar of flame jumped from the blade straight at Sharaki. I swear I heard him gasp before he lifted his sword to block it, and even though the flame hit the blade and forced him back a couple feet, he didn't go down. But as the flame disappeared and he got ready to attack again, Fireguard was already in his face, swinging the Dragon Steel like a maniac. Sharaki blocked and parried with his sword again and again, but it looked like everything he could do to stop Fireguard from landing a swing.

So that left me to fight Drallion. I was okay with that, I had a couple things to pay that guy back for anyway. So I summoned up my strength, then called out, **"TITAN WAVE!"** A tidal wave formed out of nowhere and I rode the crest of it toward Drallion.

I was thinking I had him, but I probably don't have to say I was wrong. He ran straight at the wave, caught me by my ankle and yanked me into my own tidal wave. The wave pushed us back into the ocean, and before I could blink Drallion was already on the attack. He grabbed both of my arms with his tentacles and then hammered his beak against my head over and over. The colors of the world started to run together, and my ears rang like you wouldn't believe as he did.

But a second later my head started to clear. I looked up to see why Drallion had stopped trying to smash in the side of my head, just in time to see the Orca Brand swing toward my chest. I reached out and grabbed the shaft the best I could with two huge tentacles wrapped around my arms, while Drallion used two more to try stab me with my own weapon. Maybe he thought being back in his element would give him the advantage, but the ocean was _my_ element even more than it was his…

I let go of the Orca Brand with one hand. The teeth on the end jerked an inch closer to my chest with that much less resistance, but I wouldn't have to worry about that in a second if my idea worked.

**"ICE BLADE AVALANCHE!**" I shouted, and my free hand started to glow white. Drallion realized what I was doing and tried to stick me with my own trident before I could, but I was too fast, even underwater, and chopped my hand against his side. From where I hit him, ice crystals started to spread. I thought I heard him scream in whatever his native language was as the ice spread over his torso, then over his arms, legs, and tentacles. The ones holding my arms started to weaken as they began to frost, and I don't have to tell you I took the chance I had to yank my arms loose. Then I grabbed the Orca Brand back from Drallion and jabbed it into his frozen gut. He shivered out some kind of feeble cry, but I didn't listen. By then he was covered in ice, and I was sure he'd shatter if I wailed on his butt hard enough.

I hate being wrong.

Instead he gave an angry yell, and suddenly threw this tentacles wide, shattering the ice around him! He glared at me with those tiny red eyes, and I could tell I still had a fight on my hands. I spare a quick thought for my best friend and hoped Fireguard was doing okay.

I didn't know it at the time, but he was. He was as serious as serious in a fight as he was about being a hero. He and Sharaki dueled back and forth over the beach, swords clanging and sparks flying.

"Still the worthy opponent, I see," Sharaki said, only slightly out of breath as he blocked Fireguard's swing and tried to land his own.

"I'm just giving this job the respect it deserves," Fireguard retorted. He made a risky move, suddenly raising the Dragon Steel above his head to bring it down with all his strength on Sharaki's chest, and yelled angrily as he brought his blade down. Sharaki, a warrior of countless battles, saw what he intended to do and lifted his own massive sword to parry Fireguard's attack. But the Ranger was the quicker of the two, and altered his swing suddenly and slashed Sharaki viciously across his abdomen.

"How--" Sharaki gasped in disbelief, but Fireguard didn't answer. The force that made him a master warrior had taken over, and he had given himself over to it completely. How else was he supposed to fight warriors as strong as Sharaki otherwise, he thought. He slashed again, and again, forcing Sharaki back half a step. He brought back the Dragon Steel to attack again, but suddenly Sharaki's hand snapped out and caught the blade in mid-air.

"Good, Guardranger, but not good enough," he said, and smashed his sword into Fireguard, sending him rolling down the beach. That was probably when I felt a little tingle in my head as he sent out a call for help. But I could feel something else from him too, a kind of "damn-if-I'm-not-gonna-try-to-solve-this-problem-all-by-myself" while he we sending the call.

"You're not bad either, but you're not taking over while we're here to mess up the works."

"Ever the optimist, eh?" Sharaki replied, leveling his sword at Fireguard's chest, who did the same. They circled, standing nearly fifty feet apart, then suddenly Fireguard charged, yelling like a demon and swinging the Dragon Steel above his head. Sharaki looked like he couldn't believe his eyes, I'm told, and started charging up for a special attack. Lightning glowed and crackled on his sword, but Fireguard didn't stop. He just kept coming.

**"""STRATOS! THUNDER STREAM!"" **Sharaki yelled, like when they'd fought before. But Fireguard suddenly leaned forward, shoved the Dragon Steel into the sand and used it to vault himself off the ground. Sharaki's attack sizzled by underneath, tearing a huge trench in the sand, but Fireguard wasn't worried about that. He only thought about defeating his enemy.

**"DRAGON HELLRISER!" **he shouted, his momentum and focus sending him into his flying spiral attack right at Sharaki. Fireguard's fists bashed into Sharaki again and again, knocking him back repeatedly, and with a final spiraling uppercut Fireguard knocked Sharaki into the air. He landed on his back with a boom down the beach as Fireguard's attack ended.

Sharaki got up on shaky legs, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. The guy actually _laughed _at it, though_. _The big lug was _enjoying_ himself!

Huh. Go figure.

"_Magnificent! _I haven't had to work this hard in decades! You Guardrangers are certainly living up to your legend." 

He wouldn't have thought so from the way I was going, though. Drallion was flailing at me with his tentacles as I tried to stick him with my trident, but every time I would get close a tentacle would knock it away. I realized I was getting nowhere and swam out into deeper water. Drallion followed me closely, but I had an idea that I hoped would give me the edge.

I dove close to the sea bed and suddenly whipped around. Drallion slowed down as he came closer, probably expecting me to attack, but I didn't. Not directly. **"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!"** I yelled. I thought I heard Drallion laugh, since he probably thought I was idiot for using an attack that hadn't worked. But I didn't point the Orca Brand at him, but at the bottom of the ocean instead.

The whirlpool formed quickly whipped up a cloud of wet sand and sea weed that was torn out of the sea bed. I guided it toward Drallion as quickly as I could, and he gasped in surprise as the cloud swallowed him up. I ceased the whirlpool and swam at him quickly, then hucked the Orca Brand at where I'd seen him last. I just hoped I could take him out quick like that.

I thought I heard him shriek in pain, but suddenly three tentacles shot out of the dust and grabbed my arms and one of my legs. Drallion came out, bleeding black goop from his gut but not looking hurt that badly. "You…worthless…scum!" he roared, and with his free tentacles released that black inky stuff at me. As soon as that stuff hit my suit, it burned like acid. I screamed, and he laughed. Then he threw me right out of the water.

I felt like he'd gotten a steel drum band to wail all over me again as I went flying and crashed onto the beach with bone-jarring impact. All I could tell was pain and sparks blasting up and down my back for a few minutes, or what I thought was a few minutes, anyway. That was definitely not my day. And it didn't get much better, because when I could feel something other than pain, I saw Fireguard standing over me while Sharaki and Drallion closed in on us.

"Okay, boys…which of you wants to die first?" Fireguard said bravely, and then cut the air a few times with the Dragon Steel to show he meant business.

"HAH! What are you going to do, fall on us after you keel over?" Drallion snorted, "Your friend there's on his last legs as it is."

"Don't count me out so fast, Sludge Breath," I said, trying to get up, but I don't think I exactly had 'em shaking in their boots as took almost a minute to pull myself up.

Sharaki stepped back and lowered his sword. "This is hardly sporting combat. The blue one can't even stay upright, much less put up a decent fight."

Needless to say, my ego couldn't tolerate a line like that. "Come over here and say that to my face, dude!" Then I felt the black stuff still on my suit, and it was REALLY to burn even more now that we were out of the water. I yelped in pain and went down on my side again.

"Take it easy, buddy. I've got this," Fireguard said, then started charging up. Drallion rushed him, but the monster was too late. **"DRAGON HELLBURST SLASH!"** He swung his katana and the trademark fire blast roared out of it. Drallion jumped back and there was an explosion of sand as Fireguard's attack hit the ground where he'd been standing, and as it cleared I could see Drallion hadn't gotten away totally unhurt. His legs were black and smoking, and he had a totally pissed-off look in his eyes.

"I'll floss my teeth with your spinal cord for that, you wretch!" Drallion raged. Fireguard dug in his boots and raised his weapon, but didn't look like he could fend off a monster that big by himself. But as Drallion came charging at us, a row of explosions suddenly sprang up in front of him. "What in--"

"Miina!" Airguard shouted, bow in hand, as she and the others came running down the beach with their weapons out.

"Let me at them! I'll--" Drallion started to say, but Sharaki stopped him.

"No, the plan's failed. Besides, their allies are fresh and we aren't. We'll get them soon enough, though."

Drallion growled, but didn't talk back. Drallion grabbed the kid, then they glowed and began to lose their shape for a second, and turned into balls of light and flew away.

"Are you two all right?" Earthguard asked.

"I am, I dunno about Jase, though. You gonna live, man?" Fireguard asked as he propped me up a little, his arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just got scorched in a few places."

"Better get that black stuff cleaned off you, bud." As he said that, he didn't sound anything like the hard-assed leader of the Guardrangers, but like the concerned best friend I thought was lost forever.

I tried to sound strong, but my chest was killing me--like I'd swallowed a bucket of nails and broken glass. But seeing Ryu worrying about me made it easier to take. "I'll be okay, man, really. Just give me a second to get my breath."

"No Jason, let us deal with this You've done more than enough for now." I would've been happy to argue the point with her if I didn't know she was right. As Forest and Airguard went to get some water to wash Drallion's spit off me, Fireguard dipped his fingertip into a patch of it. He sucked in a sharp breath, then yanked it out. To have Bes check it out later, I knew. I began to wonder all over again what being Fireguard was doing to my friend…

A couple minutes later we all stood on the beach, back in normal form. I ached a little still, but I didn't have any trouble getting up and walking around.

"Jase, you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, dude. Isn't it obvious?"

"I hope so, I've got a feeling it'll take all we've got to take that thing down."

"_You've_ got a feeling?" I asked, trying to make some light of the situation. I thought I saw Ryu smirk for a second, but it disappeared when Naoko raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm gonna take this black goop the monster was shooting back to the Earth Sanctum to see if Bes can tell what it is. I guess we might as well go back, that thing's probably not coming back here now that we caught him. But everybody be ready to come running if he comes back."

"Gomen. I'm just sorry we couldn't stop them before they got away," Tochiro said apologetically. Funny how he hadn't changed much since becoming a Guardranger. Ryu bucked him up, though.

"Don't worry about it. We just need to be more alert to catch them again when they come back."

"Exactly, Tochiro," Miaka added. She hadn't changed much either. Tochiro cracked a smile as she said that, and I felt myself frowning. But I forgot about that as I heard Ryu calling.

"Hey Jase, we're heading back now."

"Go ahead, man. I'm gonna to stick around for a little while. Clear out the cobwebs, y'know?"

Ryu gave me a long look, but finally he said, "Okay, dude. We'll be waiting for you back home." Then the four of them walked off toward the nearest wind tunnel back to Tokyo. Me, I started walking down the deserted beach by myself.

God, what a day. I started brooding as the sand shifted under my footsteps, the top half of my wetsuit down around my stomach. But I think you got the idea of what was on my mind around then already. But as I walked along, I soon realized I wasn't alone on the beach after all. I saw an older guy wearing trunks walking toward me from the far end of the sand. I wondered what he was doing, if he had somehow missed everyone else on the beach running away when an octopus from outer space attacked.

I recognized him a second later. Oh, man…no way…It _was_ Eiji Mizumi! I jogged over to him. He cringed for a second, but then seemed to recognize me too. 

"Jason Marger?" he asked as I got close enough to hear him. I nodded dumbly like I'd gotten beaned in the forehead with a cartoon hammer.

"Aren't you Eiji Mizumi? How do you know who I am?"

"I still keep an eye on the competition, even if I don't compete so much anymore. Anyway, what are you doing here? You like to practice when the beach is quiet too?"

"Huh? Uh, not really. I'm not even sure where my board is. I fell off it when the monster attacked."

He cocked his head at me, "Monster?"

I blinked. "You didn't notice?"

"I just got here a minute ago. I was wondering where everyone was, though," he said, sounding like I'd just asked for directions or something.

"The monster scared 'em all off. But hey, where've you been hiding, man? Surfers all over the world've been wondering why you dropped off the radar," I said, forgetting all about the monster and the Guardrangers and the stuff about Ryuji being changed by it all. I mean, dude…I was talking to _Eiji Mizumi_, what else was there to think about?

"Well, Jason," he said, like we'd known each other for years, "why don't you tell me all about this monster that was just here?" He started walking away from me, toward an isolated corner of the beach where a battered surfboard lay on the ground. "Oh, and get your board. I want to see what they're making surfers like these days."

A minute later after I zipped myself back into my wetsuit and found my board, I was back out cutting the ways like Drallion had never been there. And even though I suppose I should've been getting used to weird stuff by then, I amazed to see Eiji paddle out on his board and then lean into the waves with a grace even I couldn't have imagined by myself. insert surfing montage here

I stood and crouched, leaned left and right to keep my balance. Eiji did the same, but with a lot more poise and experience. He was, to live up to a stereotype, awesome, dude.

"I love it like this!" I heard him say, "It's no fun surfing in front of a million staring people all the time!"

"That a problem for you?" I called as I zoomed by behind him.

"Sometimes," he said back, "Isn't it one for you?"

"I dunno," I replied while I was weaving around next to him, "I haven't had time to do this much lately. New responsibilities."

"You sure don't ride that board like somebody who's outta practice."

"I still get time to practice, sorta," I said, thinking about the times when I used Titan Wave on the monsters I took on. That was sort of like surfing, and usually it worked. Thinking about how it hadn't brought back all the insecurities that had gone away when I'd started talking to Eiji.

"You all right?" Eiji called over the waves. I'd let myself drift away. "You're looking pretty distracted, Jason!"

"Jase is fine," I called back, regaining my composure and leaning back close enough to talk. Most people wouldn't think you could do both at once, but you just gotta have the skill. :)

"All right, Jase. Something I say distract you?"

"Kind of, but I don't really want to talk about it right now." I was feeling kind of sore at Ryuji as I said that. I mean, what the hell was he doing changing into a totally different person and leaving me hanging? I'd never had a friend as good as him, and we were both Guardrangers, too. Didn't the past count for anything in the kind of person he was?

"Keeping troubles bottled up is bad for the soul," Eiji said, surprising me so much I nearly fell off my board.

"What??"

Eiji didn't answer me right away. We were getting close to the beach and he jumped off his board and walked with it out of the water. I joined him, wondering if I'd said the wrong thing to somebody else.

"Jase, you're probably gonna think I'm crazy, but just listen to what I say to you, okay?"

"Okay," I said, wondering what I had gotten into.

"You remember what happened right before I quit pro surfing?"

"Yeah, you had a big argument with some girl right before the Golden Sun Bonanza and wiped out in the middle of that, man. I was wondering for years what happened to you."

"Do you have any idea why I had that fight, then dropped out of sight?"

"Hey, me and half the surfers in the world been wondering that for four years."

"Because I couldn't think about my game anymore. I can tell the same thing's up with you. You ride that board like a pro, but your mind isn't on the waves."

I was about to grab him by the arm and demand to know what he was talking, how he knew something was bothering me, but then I remembered I had a best friend who'd gotten advice from the first superhero ever. 

"You're carrying something heavy, Jase. And I think if you tell me about it, maybe I can help."

"I wouldn't mind some help...life's gotten pretty confusing..."

"Race you to that island," Eiji said, jumping back into the water and paddling toward a little island about half a mile away. Again I forgot about my problems with a challenge like that to occupy my mind. I dove in paddled into deeper water, then stood up and surfed toward the island behind Eiji.

Beneath the tranquil ocean but further up the coast, Drallion lurked. The plan was to go ahead, they'd just have to move up the date of commencement now that the Guardrangers onto them.

Drallion swam to the bottom of the ocean, into the undersea cave where he'd made his home for the last several days. It was dark, too dark for any surface creature to see inside of, but to a creature whose eyes were used to the stygian depths of oceans it was like coming home. Drallion could make out the figures of beachgoers he'd been carrying off, stuck against the walls with some kind of unearthly glop and their skin discolored by his ink. As he swam by slowly, inspecting each one in turn, some strained against their bonds, but the ink had sucked up too much of their strength.

"I'd like to see the Guardrangers stand up to me next time," he rumbled with a macabre pride. Throwing his tentacles wide, the genesis energy enhancing his own powers flew from their tips and into the nearly lifeless bodies surrounding him. Their feeble movements began stronger, faster as they writhed about trying to break free. But it was no longer in an effort to escape.

They opened their mouths to scream and what little air was left in their lungs escaped in bubbles as they did. But Drallion heard them. Heard them all utter a single, hateful scream. Hate for their kind, hate for their society, hate for whatever Drallion compelled them to.

He swung his powerful tentacles and smashed the bonds of one of his victims, then another. Those freed followed their monstrous master as he swam forward and smashed the shackles of the others. Once the last were loose he pushed himself out of the cave with a single stroke of his tentacles, the blackened beachgoers shambling along behind him. Though no air was in their lungs they gave pitiful moans that only Drallion could've heard. But hear it he could. And if he had lips, he might have smiled.

They would go, they would fight the humans, and after the battle there would be even more unfortunate half-living creatures like the ones following him to shore. Those were the thoughts in Drallion's unscrupulous mind. And he knew the Guardrangers wouldn't dare raise a hand against their own people. Victory was assured...

So I found out where Eiji Mizumi had been those years. He beat me out to the island by a whole minute, and had a laugh while I grabbed my board under one arm and jogged out of the water onto the wet sand. As I did I thought I saw footprints up the beach, but I figured they were just Eiji's. I didn't really notice that they didn't go all the way off the beach, and weren't quite human...

"You sure seem pumped," I said.

"Jase, surfing is my life, as I'm sure you know. But I don't like doin' it when there's a million people crowding the beach and starin' at me. I ain't had a contest with another surfer since I gave up the professional stuff."

"Yeah well, sometime you and me'll have a real contest." I grinned at him.

"Sounds good to me. But first, I'm gonna ask you again, do you know why I quit pro surfing after I had that fight?"

"Again, Eiji, I have no idea."

"Then follow me, and I'll tell you all about it." He turned and walked into the forest on the inside edge of the beach, sinking his board nose-first into the sand and somehow getting it to stand. I jammed my board front-first into the sand, but it just fell over. Eiji kept going, though, and I left it there and ran after him.

He led me down a forest path and into a big clearing where a two-story house sat. We went inside and he made coffee while I sat down and explained what was on my mind lately. The stuff about Ryuji and me getting distant, while tactfully forgetting to tell him anything involving superheroes. Eiji listened well even with his back turned, but when he said to go on I got the feeling that this was something he had all heard before. And from that question he'd asked me before, I was starting to think he had.

"That sounds like a big problem you've got, Jase. But things change, even people. It's the only constant in the world," he said while he was sipping coffee.

"That's deep, man."

"Maybe, but it's the truth. Does your friendship with this guy really matter so much you want to keep him from changing no matter what?"

"Dude, Ryu and me'd been best friends for years and he never changed a bit. I thought it was gonna be cool working together on this new job, but suddenly he's in charge and it's like he's a totally different person."

"Mm-hmm. You said that. But don't you think that if his friendship really mattered to you, you'd accept him for what he is, even if it's something different than what you're used to?"

"If I could, I wouldn't be having these problems, would I?" I said.

"Jase, I'm gonna tell you a little story now, okay?" Eiji asked, but went on before I answered. "See, that woman I was arguing with before the contest, she was my wife. Remi's her name. She'd been a stay at home for a long time, but around then she decided she wanted to do something with her life. Get a career, make something of herself. So she started going to night classes and I hardly ever saw her anymore, even during the off season.

"Remi was happy with the new life she was making for herself, but I felt like I was second best to her. I told her so and she told me that was silly, but she kept going, working hard like she had been. So it wasn't long before I accused her of lying to me, and we had a hell of a fight.

"That was the beginning of the end. We started growing apart, seeing even less of each other than before. Remi showed up right before that contest to tell me she was leaving me and taking our son with her. I couldn't focus on the contest, so I lost, and I haven't heard from either of them since."

I was stunned. I had no idea a living legend like Eiji Mizumi had gone through anything like that. Maybe that was the reason somebody or something had sent him to meet him, but I'll probably never know.

"You see, Jase, if I'd accepted her decision, supported her, Remi would still be here. But I couldn't, I wanted her to be the way she'd always been before. And because I couldn't accept her even though she'd changed some, she left me. Sounds kind of like what you're going through, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…yeah, it does," was all I could say.

"It's not the same thing as being in love, but I think that if your friendship with this Ryu guy matters that much, you should try to accept him. Otherwise you'll just tear your friendship apart trying to change things back to the way it used to be. But if you want the rest of my take on this…I'd say he's worried about losing you, too."

I couldn't do anything but think he was probably right, and it explained why I'd lost against Drallion in my own element before. My mind hadn't really been on the fight.

Things were quiet for a long time in Eiji's kitchen. He sat across the table from me waiting patiently for a reaction, and I sat there tossing what he had told me over and over in my mind. Being Guardrangers together hadn't been turning out like I'd expected, but it'd be even worse if I kept on Ryu's back and threw away what we had left And losing that scared the hell outta me.

Just then my brain had an itch, like when Bes was sending out to warn us about danger. I kept my mind closed for right then, since I didn't feel like sharing my thoughts with any of the others just yet. "Hey, Eiji, I gotta go. But thanks for the advice, man."

"Don't worry about it. But keep it to yourself that I'm living out here, okay? Not quite ready to face the fans again."

"Hey, my lips are sealed. But I'll be back for a rematch sometime," I grinned.

"Any time you want, kid," he laughed.

I left Eiji's little house feeling better than I had in weeks. And honestly, I was kind of laughing at myself for not realizing it on my own. Even I knew a sentai's biggest strength was their unity, and I hadn't been doing much for that with being on Ryu's back.

I had almost reached the beach and was about to open my mind to ask Bes what was wrong, but through the trees I could see someone on the beach. Someone big and orange with long tentacles coming off from his neck. Yeah, it was Drallion, pacing around the edge of the sand while a bunch of black-colored people milled around like they didn't have a brain-cell between all of them.

A couple seconds later there was a flash and a ball of light flew down from the sky and turned into Sharaki. He didn't waste any time, asking, "I take it you're ready to attack, Drallion?"

"See for yourself, sir. Not as many subjects as I'd hoped for before the full assault, but they should do. And their numbers will grow once they battle other humans for us."

I wasn't doubting that this was what Bes had sent the alert for. I brought up my arm and got ready to change. 

But then…

"What the hell are you goons doin' on my island?"

_Oh my God…you've **gotta **be **kidding!**_

"_Your_ island?" Sharaki and Drallion said at the same time.

I guess I don't have to tell you guys it was Eiji, do I? Nah, I didn't think so. There he was, looking really, really annoyed, rather than scared or anything at seeing two alien warriors and a bunch of zombies. Man…can I just say that this _really_ took the prize for weirdness?

"That's right, my island. I live here, and you ugly jokers and your fan club are trespassing." As he said that I noticed he was looking around every few seconds, I guess for signs that I had gotten off the island and not caught by these weirdos facing him down. But of course, there weren't any. My surfboard was still there, and only his footprints led from the inside of the island. "So get off, right now."

"So the Guardrangers aren't the only mortals around here with impertinent tongues," Drallion snarled, "Well, I'll fix _that_!" He brought up his tentacles and sprayed that black stuff toward Eiji, but I was already smashing into the open and holding out my Guardbrace.

**"WATER…FOCUS!"** There was just a flash of blue power and Waterguard had taken my place and was charging the Gargs with my Eternablade in hand. If Sharaki and Drallion were surprised, they sure as hell didn't show it. I yelled as I brought my Eternablade down toward Sharaki's chest, but he blocked my swing with his own sword, and Drallion swung his tentacles like whips at me.

But of course he wasn't fighting the same guy he was before. And I proved that as I jumped over his tentacles coming at me, a good twenty feet off the ground, and came down behind them immediately ready to fight again. I started to rush them, but Sharaki yelled a word.

"Silicons!" There was another flash of light and suddenly a bunch of their metal foot soldiers appeared between me and Sharaki. One whammed me in the stomach with his spear, and another one that tried to smash my head in with his club got his arms whacked off before he could even get it near me.

"I want that blue pest's head on a sharp stick!" Drallion spit angrily.

"We haven't time to indulge your baser instincts, Drallion! We're behind schedule already. I dare not keep Brannoch waiting longer than I must," Sharaki said, and he, Drallion, and the black-skinned guys changed into light and zapped off the island as I kept whacking away at the Silicons. But a second later something flashed out and smacked one of the Silicons down. It was Eiji, holding his surfboard like some kind of weapon. A Silicon charged at him and he smashed it with his board, not really doing any damage, but knocking it down and giving me a chance to run over and stab it through with my Eternablade.

"Looked like you could use a little help," Eiji said as I got back up.

"Hey, like I'd actually turn you down, man."

"I told you to call me Eiji," he said, smiling. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. But there wasn't time to worry about that, the Silicons rallied back and attacked us again.

Meanwhile, Sharaki, Drallion and his victims appeared on a beach eastward of where they had attacked before. All was quiet for a second as the people were realizing what had happened, but then Drallion screamed, "Boo!" and all hell broke loose. Screams cut the air. People fled in all directions. And Drallion's tainted victims began to swarm after them with angry cries.

One of the zombies grabbed a woman who tried to run past him, and as he did, his blue hue traveled up her arm and spread over her body. Before she could even scream, she'd assumed the same ebon color of her attacker. The horror went out of her face, to be replaced by animal fury. She snarled and barreled after a fleeing bystander.

Anyone unlucky enough to be caught by one of the zombies became one, as if spreading their curse while Drallion, laughing riotously, and Sharaki, unmistakably indifferent, looked on. "See? We'll have an unstoppable army this way!" Drallion crowed, "And the best thing is the humans won't dare to kill their own people!"

"Indeed…" Sharaki said. He had chosen Drallion for this mission because he was at home underwater, but Sharaki had never planned on using his warrior's grim power that was now on display. But he was there to conquer Japan on behalf of his Empire, and he would do exactly that.

The innocent families and couples who'd been enjoying a day at the shore only a moment ago had nearly deserted the beach, trying to flee to their cars and make good their escape, but Drallion's zombies pursued. They smashed in windows with their bare hands to create more of their own, unmindful of the darkened blood that coursed from their fists as they did. Screams turned into feral snarls as the blackened people spread their affliction.

But as one of the unfortunate victims reached toward a young girl with his malignant touch, a long cable snapped outward from the distance and forced him backwards.

"Hold it right there, whatever you are!" called a brave voice as four figures clad in bright colors dashed up to the zombies.

"What the devil's going on here?" Sharaki demanded as he noticed the mindless creatures had stopped running around after the humans still unaffected. He narrowed his eyes and saw the beings challenging Drallion's victims. To his complete lack of surprise, it was the Guardrangers, armed and ready.

"This should be fun," Drallion chortled, "Go ahead and fight them, mortals! You'll be killing the same people you protected from Garganstah, though!" The Guardrangers shrunk back a step, but brandished their weapons. The black humans stepped forward, as if sensing their prey's unwillingness to attack, but then Fireguard's voice rang out and clear and confident.

"Who says we have to kill them?"

**"SEISMIC FORCE!"** Earthguard yelled, charging up and then bringing down her foot with ground-shaking force. The black humans were thrown this way and that, and before they could recover, Fireguard jumped high, summoned his power into the Dragon Steel and aimed the blade toward the ground as he came down.

**"HELLION IMPACT!" **A huge ring of fire leaped up around a bunch of the black humans, trapping them. He was about to do the same to another group, but a thick orange tentacle came flying out of nowhere and knocked him on his back.

"Seems we've got a smartass in our midst," Drallion said angrily. He didn't give Fireguard a chance to recover and closed in tentacles flailing. The others moved to defend their leader, but Sharaki and the black humans blocked the way.

"Too bad your friend couldn't make it," Sharaki said, "We'd have had such a great battle."

I wondered what Sharaki and Drallion were doing while I flipped and rolled away from the Silicon's attacks. Eiji was still knocking them on their chrome-plated butts with his surfboard, even if he didn't have the strength to do any actual damage to them. "How d'ya like that, metalhead?!" he yelled as another one went down. He almost seemed to be enjoying the fight.

I jump-kicked one Silicon in the chest, smashing it to bits, then as I came down, slashed another's head off with my sword. "Heh…heads up."

"Oh, geez! That stunk!" Eiji yelled as he batted another Silicon away.

"Hey, just because this job is serious doesn't mean I'm not allowed to have fun doing it!"

He got a chuckle outta that one. "But fun as this is, I got things to do elsewhere…**ORCA BRAND!"** A Silicon swung his sword at Eiji and chopped his surfboard in half as he jumped back, and I shattered that Silicon with my trident. The others grouped up and ran at me, but I didn't have time to take them out one by one. Instead I just gripped the Orca Brand, poured my power into it until it was glowing blue, then hucked it right into the middle of the group of Silicons as they ran. It cut right through them, the energy in the trident shattering each trident as it passed them, until it ran out of momentum and wedged into the sand like I'd failed to do with my board earlier. All that was left was a beach covered in pieces of broken metal.

"Kami-sama," I heard Eiji muttered as he walked up to my side, "I never saw anything like that!"

"You haven't??? Yeesh, that's a first. Especially coming from a local guy."

"Hey, I live a little far away from the conflict zone, kid."

"Speaking of that, I better go see what those guys' buddies are up to." I jogged over to where my board still lay and grabbed it. "Yo, Eiji, thanks. Y'know, for the pep talk. And…sorry about your board."

"Forget about it. Pay me back by your giving your best bud your support. Something tells me he could use it about now."

I gave him a thumbs up. "You got it, man!" I ran down the beach, board under my arm, and grabbed my Orca Brand as I went. I dove into the surf on my board, then stood up as I reached deep water, and started to power up.

As soon as I hit the water, a huge wave formed beneath me, but it was higher, faster, fuller than anything I usually created. I guess pulling myself out of my funk had amped up my powers, but right then all I was thinking about was showing Drallion who the real master of the water was.

As I rode the wave toward the shore, somehow I could hear Eiji say, "Kid, you're gonna do great things…"

The other Guardrangers fought bravely against Sharaki and Drallion, but the odds were simply not in their favor. The black humans not contained in Fireguard's kept getting in their way, clawing them and trying to pin them to the ground. And it wasn't as if the Rangers could fight back; they were ordinary people fighting their own protectors at the behest of a malevolent force.

"HYAH!" Fireguard shouted as he lashed his Dragon Steel at Drallion's head. But the tentacles around the monster's neck had started to spin like a buzz saw, knocking the weapon away with a CLANG that rattled Fireguard's teeth. Fireguard jumped and attacked, but Drallion simply leaned to one side and his whirling tentacles cut down the red Ranger. Before he could get up, a horde of black humans was upon him, pinning his arms and legs.

"Got a plan, Guardranger? Another clever trick that'll let you escape without bringing harm to your own people? I'd love to see it," Drallion cackled, stomping on Fireguard's chest.

"Get off my chest for a second and I'll be glad to show you! You've got _no_ idea how tough humanity really is!" Fireguard shouted despite the pain.

"Oh yes I do! It's the reason you're on the ground getting crushed to death and I'm not!" Drallion laughed as his mindless thralls held Fireguard down, and stomped him again.

"Fireguard!" Earthguard yelled above the feral cries of the black humans raked her with their hands. **"SEISMIC FORCE!"** she yelled, again stomping the ground and literally shaking off their attacks and hurling Drallion to the ground. She rushed over to help, but the black humans and Drallion just got up again, and once more attacked the Rangers like a snarling, clawing black tidal wave.

Sharaki, meanwhile, took on the other two. Forest and Airguard tried to attack from both side with their Eternablades, but the veteran warrior simply spun in place and swung his sword, deflecting both swords and knocking the Rangers wielding them away with slashes across the torso.

"He's tough," Forestguard gasped as he clutched at his chest.

"I think I've got the answer to that," Airguard whispered back.

"Stop talking and fight! What kind of warriors are you?" Sharaki said indignantly. For all the wars he'd won, the Guardrangers kept managing to surprise him.

"The kind that that do things like THIS! **HAWK--DIRGE!!"** Airguard sang, blasting Sharaki with intense vocal power. He stumbled backwards, his armor cracked, and Forestguard could swear there was a pained look on his face for an instant. But just an instant.

As the assault died away, Sharaki smiled. "Impressive. But perhaps you'd care to sample my power. **"CRESTIA! LIGHTNING BOLT ONSLAUGHT!" **The two Guardrangers could feel Sharaki's power rise, travel into his sword which was pointed the heavens, and the skies cracked open, merciless bolts of electric blue lightning began to rain down on the heroes.

"Oh, boy…something tells me that was the wrong strategy!" Airguard shouted, throwing a hand over her head. **"HAWK WIND GUARDIAN!" **A whirling shield of translucent white appeared above her, deflecting some of the lightning strikes, but the sheer force of the attack still drove Airguard to her knees.

"Too late to worry now!" Forestguard said as he pressed her into a crouch and covered her with his own body. A bolt shot down, missing Earthguard by inches. As she wondered what to do to avoid getting fried, she saw Fireguard lift his Dragon Steel high.

"Nan desu ka?? What are you doing?!" she demanded, anxiety whose source she didn't know clear in her voice, but a second later it became clear. A lightning bolt struck the sword, traveling into Fireguard's body. He twitched horribly for a minute, but retained his position. Another bolt struck, and again it spent a spasm through Fireguard's body, worse than before, but he held his ground. Then another, another, and another hit the outstretched Dragon Steel, and Fireguard screamed in anguish. But he did not go down.

"What's he doing?!" Forestguard shouted above the clatter of thunder.

"He's protecting us," Earthguard replied, as another electric bolt stuck the upraised Dragon Steel and surged into Fireguard. He was acting like a human lightning rod to spare his teammates the damage he was now suffering. Another bolt, mercifully the last, lanced from the heavens and struck the Dragon Steel. Fireguard's body contorted as electricity danced along his uniform, and he crumpled down.

The Rangers dashed to his side and knelt by their leader. "Baka! Why did you do that??" Earthguard demanded.

"Hey…I'm the guy in the red suit, remember? It's my job."

"How foolishly sentimental," Drallion's voice interrupted them, "Kill them!" The black humans closed in on the Rangers…

"What in the name of the nine planets is that?" Sharaki said, looking past them toward the ocean. A huge wave was coming toward the shore, and atop it could be seen a blue-clad figure on a surfboard.

Well, you can probably guess that this is where I came in.

I could see the others were in trouble, but this time I was ready to face it.

**"BANZAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"** I yelled as I jumped off the wave and fell toward the ground. 

I touched down in front of Drallion but immediately stood back up pointing my Orca Brand at him. "Looks like you got tired of pickin' on helpless kids."

"I'll be happy to pick _you apart_!" Drallion said.

"Ooh…there's an original comeback for ya," I said back. I could tell he was just dying to take me on again. His funeral.

Nobody said anything else. Drallion just screamed and sprayed his ink at me, and suddenly the fight started where it had left off. I assumed. Except this time around, Drallion was on my case again. I jumped away from his ink, and even though a little bit splashed onto the leg of my suit, nothing happened. I couldn't stop to think about it; his tentacles had started to spin and it looked like he wanted to see what they'd do to my neck.

"Remember what happened last time, Guardranger? You're no match for me!"

"You were fightin' somebody else then, ugly."

"Then show me who you are this time!" We charged.

Meanwhile, Fireguard managed to pull himself up. A few steps away Forest and Airguard were firing arrows and cracking the Gorilla Vine to keep the black humans away from their leader, and Earthguard's claws rang out as she smacked them against Sharaki's sword. She jumped back to avoid a vicious slash, but he focused his power again, and shouted, **"VOLCANUS! MAGMA VULCAN!"**, loosing a rapid-fire volley of fireballs at the yellow Ranger. She got ready to duck, but there was no need as Fireguard hurled himself in between them and sucked the barrage harmlessly into his sword.

"You guys thought I'd stay down from just a few lightning bolts? I'm hurt."

"Fireguard, I--"

"Well, since you've recovered, let us end the discussion and battle," Sharaki said. 

_Wasn't one to waste time,_ Fireguard thought. Earthguard was only thinking about how it was the third time he had saved her from a brutal blast. But the time to think about that was not then, as Sharaki raised his blade and attacked the two Rangers.

Back to the _real_ hero of this story. 

Sorry. Ego moment there.

Anyways, Drallion wasn't playing around, maybe he could tell I really wasn't the Waterguard he had stomped before. He tried to whip me with his tentacles, ducking and leaning as I moved to avoid them, but I was too fast, too strong, too cool. His tentacles tore up the ground as I back flipped out of the way. They ripped the top half off a car as I ducked underneath. Now it was my turn.

I positioned myself carefully, then jumped up and kicked Drallion in the head as hard as a Guardranger could. He hit the pavement hard and the spinning stopped, but he got right back up, spraying ink shots all over the place. But I was ready.

**"ORCA MAGNUM TYPHOON!" **My whirlpool attack began as usual, right in the path of Drallion's oncoming ink. But instead of whirling out, this time in whirled _in,_ sucking the ink into it and balling it up. I stopped the attack and the ink just fell and splattered on the ground.

"Sorry, pal, but I'm taking back my crown," I said right before I ditched the Orca Brand and charged up my new attack, white steam building in my hands and jumped at him. This hadn't worked the last time, but the way things were going, I was pretty sure it would a second time.

**"ICE BLADE…AVALANCHE!" **I brought my arms down in mid-air, and the white beam of my attack slammed into him, ice forming at the point of impact on him. But this time I added an extra kick. I called back the Orca Brand, in blaster mode this time, and let him have it at point blank. There was an explosion and ice crystals went everywhere. Drallion lay in a smoking heap on the ground. Somewhere behind me I could hear a pair of explosions and Sharaki yelling. I couldn't make out the words, but clearly, he was pissed about something. When the others gathered around me a second later I guessed they had taken care of the Baron for the moment.

"You did it, man!" Fireguard said, thumping my shoulder..

"I wish," I said as Drallion started to get up, looking like he'd gotten stuck in the French Fry cooker at McDonald's a little too long. "Let's put 'em together."

Airguard slid her bow into the end of the Orca Brand, Earthguard attached her claws to the front and Fireguard and Forestguard stuck their weapons onto the shaft of the trident. The two of them got on their knees and braced the Guardian Vulcan from the front, while the girls took standing positions next to me, since I was the one in the firing position (It's my show, remember?). All our powers flowed into it, and we all shouted at once. 

**"attack!" **I pulled the trigger and a rainbow of our suit colors blasted out of the Vulcan barrels and into Drallion, who exploded as fell down from the blast. The zombie-guys froze for a second, then the black started to melt of them from the head down, fading until they were normal, untainted beachgoers again.

"WHOO-HOO!" I whooped amidst the others' cheers. _DANG, that felt good! _But what came next felt even better.

__

"DUDE!" Fireguard grabbed my hand and thumped me in the chest with his forearm. "That was incredible, man!"

__

"Yeah, you should be proud of yourself, buddy." Forestguard clapped me on the shoulders. "And that was one heck of an entrance you made, too."

"And on a surfboard, no less…" Earthguard put in. "Only you." Her tone was as dry as always when it came to me, but the usual tint of sarcasm wasn't. She almost sounded…dare I say…impressed?

"Oh, stop it!" Airguard came to my rescue, holding onto my arm with both hands. "He was fantastic!" 

Man, I hadn't felt so great in weeks. But like I should've figured, it didn't last long.

"Not bad, heroes. Care to try it again at twenty times the size?" It was Sharaki, pulling a pouch off his belt. I knew what was in there, and what he was gonna do. But maybe getting my butt kicked and then kicking Drallion's butt had worn me out, maybe in the back of my mind I was still riding the wave that came when I beat him. Whatever it was, I couldn't move to stop Sharaki from opening the pouch and throwing it into the air over Drallion. None of us could, and in seconds he started to move, then grown. Then he was big enough to squash us like bugs.

"Let's see you manage that again, little blue boy! You'll soon be nothing but a broken smudge under my heel!" Drallion yelled, and I tried to cover my ears before I remembered how much of it my helmet covered. But now we could move, react, and we all did.

****

"GUARD BEASTS, AWAKEN!" Seconds later we could see them coming. Hellscar, Treebasher, Windshear, Terraclaw, and of course, my big buddy, Tidalstorm.

"Care to do the honors, man? I think you've earned it," Fireguard said to me as Drallion brought up his foot to stomp us.

"Oh, dude, HELL yeah! **IMMORTAL FUSION!"** And right away the Guard Beasts responded. They twisted and transformed, into legs, arms, and the other parts of a giant humanoid form. But we didn't stand around to see it. Just as Drallion's foot came down a beam of energy swallowed us all up and pulled us inside. A second later the lights came on in the little room where we reappeared, and in my head I could hear the Guard Beasts calling:

"**WE ARE THE UNITY. WE ARE... DAICHIJIN!"**

**"GAIATIC CUTTER!"** Fireguard called, and Daichijin's sword zapped into his hand. At a command from us he moved in on Drallion, but the monster suddenly raised his tentacles and splattered Daichijin with his ink. It didn't really damage him, but it did cover his eyes, and by the time he responded to our command to wipe it off, Drallion was right up in Daichijin's face.

Right away he grabbed Daichijin in his tentacles, then bashed his beak against Daichijin's head. The cockpit rocked and we were all thrown around. I tried to concentrate and get Daichijin to hit back with the Gaiatic Cutter, but Drallion knocked it out of his hand with a tentacle. Drallion lifted Daichijin high, then threw him down, hard.

"I think we're in trouble here, folks!" Airguard said, and she was right. Drallion stomped over and kicked Daichijin onto his back, then his tentacles began to twirl around and smash into our warrior again and again, shooting up huge sparks every time. The lights flickered in the cockpit, and I realized if we couldn't get Daichijin up soon, we never would.

"Airguard! Use the Crying Hawk, see if that can give us some room!" Fireguard said.

"Got it! **CRYING HAWK!"** Daichijin reached behind his back and pulled off Windshear, and a spear of blinding white smashed Drallion in the side, sending him down hard on his side. We all concentrated and Daichijin pulled himself up, grabbing the Gaiatic Cutter as he did. But Drallion was up too, and started the spinning tentacles routine again.

"Say goodbye, Guardrangers!"

"Airguard, again!"

**"CRYING HAWK!"** Another white blast tore through the air, but it was just batted away by the barrage of whirling arms. Drallion laughed. 

"Drat! He's spinning too fast for it to get through!" 

Just then something itched against my mind, and I steeled myself.

"Hey, Jase…what is it? You look like something's on your mind."

"More like _in_ my mind, dude. It feels like something's trying to get into my brain."

"Just go with it, Jase. It's your Beast trying to tell you something," Forestguard said.

I nodded. "Okay, big buddy…lay it on me," I replied to Tidalstorm, and then let it fill my mind, "**TIDAL IMMERSER!"** I could feel Daichijin's power channeling into his left arm, Tidalstorm was building so much that we were all almost blinded by the blue light coming off of him. Drallion, by now, was charging us, ready to finish things--notice how the bad guys in sentai _always_ do that?--but it was way too late. Daichijin leveled his arm and shot the energy out as a colossal wave-like wall of power that swallowed Drallion whole. It slammed him backwards and swept him up in the flow, while giant shards of ice pierced him and stabbed him, then finally dumped him back onto the ground, sparks flying like crazy..

"I think he's had enough, guys. Let's do it!" And we did.

**"EARTH RAGE!" **The Gaiatic Cutter glowed as it was drawn across the black dome on Daichijin's chestplate, then the big guy went into action without any prodding from us. He slashed Drallion with his sword. Then again, and again in a barrage of glowing, burning slashes, until Drallion finally gave a last shriek and fell down to an explosive demise. We had won. For a second I could see Sharaki looking like he was saluting us before he changed into light and flew away into the sky.

A little later, we were back on the beach, but not as Guardrangers, and Daichijin had gone to rest for the next time we needed him. The sun was just starting to set, and the people we had saved were milling around, trying to get their trips to the beach back on track.

I walked over to where my board rested after riding it all the way from Eiji's island. "Man, what a day. We bagged a monster, yeah, but I barely got to enjoy the beach after coming all this way," I said, mostly to myself.

"Jase, what the heck were you doing here all that time if you weren't surfing? You were doing that when you showed up again," Ryuji said to my back.

"Dude, it's a long story, and right now I'm not sure it's one I wanna share," I said as I turned around. Ryuji gave me a funny look when I told him that, but despite what Eiji had told me I had a lot to think about and didn't want to drag him into it, so I let it go.

"Kind of wish I'd brought my suit," Tochiro muttered, then we all noticed Miaka dashing toward the water as she hopped along pulling off her boots and socks.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think Jason's right," she giggled and splashed water at the rest of us. A couple kids squirted her with water pistols, and she laughed and whipped water at them, too. She was wearing a white sleeveless turtleneck and black hip-huggers--not exactly beachwear, but clearly she didn't mind getting them wet. Tochiro got his hiking boots off himself and joined in, and I moved toward the water to help defend my teammates from those kids too.

I turned back when I noticed it was just the three of us. "Hey, you two gonna join us?"

"Water's not my neck of the woods," Naoko replied dryly.

"Nah, Jase," Ryu said like it was a reflex he couldn't control, "You guys go ahead, but I've had about all the action I need for one day."

I don't have to tell you I was disappointed, but I remembered what Eiji had said, and pasted on a smile, "Okay, dude. Catch you later." 

Ryu nodded back with a lopsided smile. "Later, man." Then he and Naoko turned around and started to walk off the beach. 

Wow. Maybe he was actually coming around after all. Maybe in time us being best friends wouldn't be strained by being heroes. 

But that was another story.

Peace, folks. 

_Jason Marger, aka Waterguard _


	12. Episode 12: Tormented Spirits! Consigned...

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

Episode 12:

Tormented Spirits! Consigned to the Underworld!

by David Anderson and Derek Pryor

Masaru Misaki wasn't anybody special. He hadn't cured any diseases, didn't own any business empires, and no famous works of art had his name on them. But that didn't matter to him. He had a decent job, a nice home, and a loving family he would soon be on his way to rejoin as he locked up the office for the day and stepped out into the hot summer night.

But like many of his kind, he lacked the faculties to sense that something evil was in the air, stalking him, waiting for the best moment to strike.

Mr. Misaki walked the normal couple of blocks to take his normal train ride home after working late at the office, which was also normal. He wondered how his son, Tetsuo had done on his test that day, and what might be on the dinner table when he got home. He thought about the rest of the week's work, about maybe varying the route of the dog's walk that night, just to do something a little different for once.

Only one person on the train could sense the horrible irony of what was on Masaru's mind.

As the train went around a bend, Masaru suddenly snapped awake as he noticed that the lights of the city--windows, signs, street lamps, headlights--had completely vanished. There was absolutely nothing to be seen outside the windows. The train seemed to be floating in a lightless void. Then Masaru looked up and was shocked again. All the people that had been on the car with him moments ago had vanished! All of them except a young man sitting and staring at his feet at the end of the car.

"Hey!" Masaru shouted, "What happened to everyone?!"

"They're gone," the young man replied, not looking up.

"Kisama…I can see that much!" Masaru shouted again, panic starting to creep in. "Where'd they go??"

"Nowhere, they're still on the train, on their way home, or wherever," the man replied, raising his head up, "but _you_ were just a little too content with your lot for me to ignore…" And with that he swung his head toward Masaru, revealing a pair of baleful, inhuman red eyes. Masaru gasped, and the man got up and advanced toward him.

Masaru struggled to find a way out, any way out. He pounded desperately on the window with his fists, but it resisted his blows. He tried to force the car doors open, but they would not be budged. The man with the eyes seized him by the shoulders, and Masaru prepared himself to be knifed, or strangled, or to have his head ripped off at the neck, but none of those occurred. Instead the man, his iron grip and his piercing eyes suddenly began to fade and then disappear entirely. Masaru was about to let out a sigh of relief, when the train car began to disappear around him as well.

The lights, the seats, the doors all faded before his eyes, leaving nothing but an infinite blackness. Masaru was floating in the dark void, wondering if he had just dozed off and was having a nightmare. How could all this be happening? It wasn't possible for the world to just vanish…

That was what he thought.

"Enjoying yourself?" the young man with the red eyes asked, appearing from out of the darkness. He was positioned as if he was sitting on a stool as he drifted toward and past Masaru, and the smile on his lips made no mistake that he was enjoying the man's terror.

Masaru tried to say something, to ask who this man was, why and how he was doing all this, but no sound came from his mouth. It wasn't fear; some outside force was suppressing his voice, and he was pretty sure it was the strange man floating in circles around him.

"Yes, that's right, I'm blocking your voice. I'd rather feel your fear than hear a confession of it. But quite frankly, Misaki-san, I'm not feeling quite enough fear from you for my liking." The man waved his hand, the red of his eyes became a little darker, and suddenly Masaru wasn't floating anymore, he was falling. Falling toward a crimson abyss far, far below him, with menacing black shapes teeming within it. As he tried in vain to scream, to do anything, Masaru could begin to make out what they were; demonic creatures, infernal beings he vaguely remembered seeing on the evening news years before…foes of teams of brightly-costumed heroes…

There was one that looked like a tree, another that looked like a faucet, still another that looked like a gold-plated lion man…each of them and many more reaching out to him…to end his life…

There was no escape, and far above, the man with the red eyes laughed maniacally as he felt Masaru's silent cries of anguish.

Night might have been a period of rest for the human beings and even the Guardrangers, but not for people like Vandread.

No, this was the time when black magic slithered to life. When otherworldly creatures awoke to perform their inhuman errands of mischief. And he sensed a particularly malicious otherworldly being up to no good at that very minute.

Vandread sank deeper into his meditation, cast his senses further from his physical shell. He probed the nation of Japan below, searching for the presence he had just detected. He caught only feel a faint signature of the force he was tracking in the northern part of the city, but Vandread could instantly tell what that meant. The creature had shifted to another realm, and it would be child's play for one such as Vandread to follow in astral pursuit.

His powerful scrying spells allowed Vandread to scan a dozen ethereal dimensions at once, looking for the smallest trace of the creature he sought. Nothing in the plane of Emerald Life, the Home of the Oraculars, or even in the far-flung dimension called Gigyan. But his search was quick and efficient, and as soon as one search turned up fruitless he began another. Within a matter of seconds he had searched over fifty parallel dimensions, and located his quarry. He was not surprised at all to discover it hovering in the realm of the wicked dead.

Yes, he thought, the being he'd been tracking had that subtle supernatural aftertaste that only a vengeful spirit possessed. This one seemed to have quite a sadistic streak, too, as Vandread observed it laughing riotously as it watched creatures that had been monsters in life tear a helpless mortal limb from limb.

But suddenly the cruel mirth ended. The spirit had sensed somebody was watching him. Vandread was not afraid. He was only casting his senses into other realms, and he could more than handle some old ghost anyway. But he continued his careful observation, sizing up the spirit.

Vandread detected a particularly powerful aura permeating the spirit, and a particularly powerful hate as well. But as he tried to move his view closer, to get inside and find out what made it so hateful, the spirit flitted away into the infernal darkness before Vandread could make contact. This didn't bother him in the least; he had sensed its resonance, it could never hide from him. And he was sure that it would show itself again soon.

Again Vandread cast his senses into another world. There would be plenty of time to plot the spirit's pursuit come the day once its power waned.

Miaka woke up bright and early to make it to school ahead of time, not appreciating until recently how demanding super heroics were on a person's time. She got dressed and went downstairs, where her mom was slaving over a hot pan and watching the small TV set in the kitchen at the same time.

"Ohayo, Mom," Miaka said, opening the refrigerator and searching for the milk.

"Ohayo, sweetheart. Since when did you start getting up an hour before you leave for school?"

"When I realized how big an effect school's going to have on my future."

"Well, Miss Early-Bird, eat your breakfast and then finishing get ready. I have to go, or I'll miss the train to work. Your father's bringing dinner home," Mrs. Kanzuki said, switching off the TV just as a news story about a man's disappearance came on. She kissed her daughter on the cheek, grabbed her briefcase and walked out the door.

Miaka tipped the French toast her mother had been making onto a plate and sat down at the kitchen table. She wolfed down her breakfast and put the dishes in the sink before going upstairs to pack her books and comb her hair before heading off to school. She wondered idly about the news report she'd almost seen, something about a man on a train, as she brushed her teeth, then descended the stairs and shut the door of the house behind her.

Almost the instant she was outside, Miaka noticed something strange.

Nothing glaringly obvious. No slavering monster was waiting outside to gobble her up, no alien robot perched on a streetlight opened fire with its laser gun as she stepped outside. But Miaka could sense something uneasy in the people that walked by, something in the abrupt stops and starts of the cars in the street, something that added a slightly malicious sound to the inner-city wind, something that made her a little nervous.

And as she walked to school, Miaka thought she certainly had cause to be, at least a little. Who wasn't to say there wasn't a malign presence stalking her? She was certainly in a position where it wouldn't be unusual, but Miaka pushed those thoughts from her mind and hurried along. She could deal with that when the time came, and she was trying to get back into her normal groove.

After a while Miaka forgot about the unease she'd felt in the morning. There was the same first bell, the same boring classes about things she'd never need to know, and finally the same bell for lunch break she'd been taking for granted until her time had become a lot more precious.

"Hey, Miaka! Over here!" Noremi waved a hand at her friend from the far side of the classroom, where she and a group of their friends were gossiping over lunch. Miaka found herself hesitating for a second before answering the summons. For some reason Miaka felt oddly distant to them, her friends, many she'd had for years. But she shook it off and walked over to the cluster of desks they were eating their lunches around.

"Something wrong, girl?" Noremi asked as Miaka pulled up a chair. Miaka shook her head, but she knew Noremi didn't believe her.

"What's going on?" Miaka asked.

"Not much," one of the other girls replied, "Did you hear Daisuke just broke up with Etsuko??"

"Are you kidding?" Noremi asked scandalized. "They only started going together last week!"

"I know, but I tried to talk to her this morning and she was in tears! How do you explain that?"

"Then it _must_ be true," another of the girls said.

"Miaka? Have _you_ heard any juicy stories lately? Come on, spill, girl."

"Huh? Me? No, sorry."

"I bet she's heard something about that new sentai," Noremi said with a teasing grin on her face.

"No, really, I haven't. Nothing that wasn't on the news…"

"Well I'll tell you something _I_ heard," a girl named Akane spoke up. "I heard that the northern haunting started again."

"Well, naturally, it's that time of year," Noremi replied, but Miaka thought she could see her friend shiver for a second.

Everyone who had been a kid in the last ten years knew about the northern haunting. Supposedly sixteen years before, a man had met some kind of gruesome end there, and for a week in summer every year since he had haunted the site of his death snatching up innocent people, who were never seen again.

"Scary," Miaka said, "Wonder if he'll get anybody this year."

"Oh, come on, " Mitsuko cut in, tossing her long black hair out, "that's just a story some kids made up to scare each other."

"I don't know about that," Miaka said, "We have superheroes and monsters every year. What's wrong with ghosts?"

"She's right, Mitsuko," Akane added, "It said on the news that last night in that part of the city some guy disappeared right off a train. One second he was there, then he was gone!"

Mitsuko made a "humph" noise. "Well _I_ still don't believe it. Even if there are such thing as superheroes and monsters, that doesn't make everything else you hear to be real."

With that the gossip session died down and the girls silently took part in their lunches. Miaka chewed her food without thinking much about what was in her mouth. The line between fantasy and fact had become forever blurred when the first monster appeared in Japan and the first hero arose to fight it, but Miaka had never really thought about all the ramifications living in a such world could have, much less being part of the conflict.

Who was to say that there wasn't a ghost haunting the city? Surely Japan had seen stranger things than that in the last three decades, and was going to see many times more. Who could say what was just a harmless ghost story and what was a true account of a harmful presence with powers far beyond humanity, what to listen to and what to ignore when one was tasked with stemming the rise of evil?

As the bell rang and the students scurried back to the seats, Miaka realized that even she had a few things to learn about being a part of the war between good and evil.

In the middle of the day, passersby were startled as the doors to Vandread's quarters opened and he stepped forth. The pedestrians quickly averted their eyes and walked on, trying to pretend that they didn't notice the powerful presence in their midst. But Vandread knew well how the people of Garganstah regarded him.

That didn't matter, though. What mattered was tracking down that spirit he'd detected in the night. And with that thought in mind, Vandread set off down the corridors toward Brannoch's audience chambers.

It would've been a parlor trick for Vandread to transport his physical casing through space with his powers, but he had some thinking he wanted to do on the way, and maybe he could scare the populace into being aware of his might some more while he was at it.

Vandread was a handsome Garganstah man, with especially dark blue skin and sculpted features. Though a devotee of the mystic arts, he had never lost the athletic muscles of his youth, but the dark purple hair that hung to his neck, unusual even for a Garganstah, and coal-colored armor, to say nothing of the crystal sphere-tipped staff he carried everywhere, suggested something otherworldly about him, even to those who didn't know him as the Baron of sorcery. And, most of all, just like his Emperor, Vandread's very presence bespoke an awesome dormant power simply waiting to be unleashed. But, unlike Brannoch, his intentions for that power were unclear…

As he walked Vandread thought about the spirit. It could be most useful, and what he had in mind would make it even more potent than he had detected. But he would need Brannoch's permission to make it possible.

More people turned and desperately ignored Vandread as they saw him walk by, and he replied in kind. They feared him because they didn't know him as a conquering hero like Sharaki, or one whose adeptness at science had solved countless many of their woes like Gammaraude. But he didn't care. The Empire would've been nowhere without his contributions to their conquests.

Within minutes Vandread was outside of the Chamber of State where Brannoch had begun holding his meetings with his subjects after getting settled into the Death Gar. The guards unsoldered their pikes and bowed to him as he approached.

"Baron Vandread, what is your business?" one asked.

"I wish to discuss the matter of retaking the planet from the humans with the Emperor. I believe I know a way."

"The Emperor will want to hear about that," the guard replied, and nodded to the other, who walked over and began to pull one of the large doors open. Vandread waited for no further invitation, and entered.

The Chamber of State was a strange place. Brannoch favored an odd lighting arrangement in the room; two lamps of a glowing element from one of Garganstah's many conquered territories hung high on the rear wall, projecting beams of soft light that were refracted all over the room by the faceted tiles on the floor of the room. It lent the stately room a ghostly quality, a quality someone like Vandread could easily appreciate.

The minister of labor was talking to Brannoch about allocating more workers to getting the fortress's defenses back in shape when Vandread came in. When the Emperor saw that he had another guest, however, and one of his Barons, at that, he interrupted the labor minister as cordially as he could.

"Pardon me, minister, but it would appear that one of my Barons has something to tell me. Would you wait outside for a moment while he and I talk?"

"Of course, sire," the minister replied with a bow before walking out of the room. The guards shut the door behind him with a hollow boom.

Brannoch squinted at Vandread with his good eye. "What brings you to my presence, Vandread? Something to rid us of our enemies, I trust."

"After a fashion, Milord," Vandread replied smoothly, "I sensed an ethereal being of considerable power I believe I can tame, but I will need the assistance of a particular Animated Warrior to do so."

Brannoch said nothing for a moment. He was just as wary as his people about Vandread's true nature. Yes, the Baron had proven his worth numerous times with his considerable magic gifts. But he was so secretive, sometimes locking himself away for days on end doing who knew what. That wasn't a trait Brannoch liked in his most powerful servants.

But then again, that was the way sorcerers were, guarded in their ways and secrets to the uninitiated. And perhaps it would take a bit of stealth and deception to succeed where direct action and brute force had failed them already.

But thousands of years of ruling had not made Brannoch senile. He wanted more information before he handed this delicate task over to a man he didn't entirely trust. "And just what sort of Animated Warrior do you require for this?"

"A being that can merge and multiply a spirit's power. I have just the creature in mind, and with your permission I will have it created and sent out at once," Vandread replied.

"Very well, Vandread. Collect your warrior, and if you defeat the Guardrangers once and for all, you will be justly rewarded."

"Service to my Empire is all the reward I need," Vandread said with a bow.

"As it should," Brannoch replied, narrowing his eye as if he didn't quite believe his Baron's honeyed words. "May Fate guide your hand, Vandread. I expect good news."

Vandread bowed and left wordlessly. A quick rap on the doors with his staff got the guards to open it, and the labor minister was admitted back in as Vandread walked down the hall toward the warrior workship. The guards let out sighs of relief as soon as they thought he was out of earshot, but though Vandread did more than hear them, he ignored them and continued on his way. Soon all of Garganstah would learn the proper respect for the Baron of the Black Arts.

Far below, it was a slow day at the Golden Bushel. The cooks didn't need Ryuji's help to fill the day's orders, so he was left with a lot of time to brood in the office over something that had been bothering him since the last Garganstah attack. Nothing interrupted him while he pretended to go over a little paper work until the cook who'd been working the front suddenly entered.

"Yo, Ryuji, there's some schoolgirl out front who says she wants to talk to you."

"Nani? Okay, arigato. I'll be out there in a second," Ryuji said. The cook nodded and returned to work. A schoolgirl who wanted to talk to him? He'd had something so heavy on his mind that it didn't hit him who it probably was until he entered the front.

There was Miaka, sipping a soft drink at the counter.

"I hope you bought that here," Ryuji chided with an instinctive good nature.

"So you're not happy being my leader, now you want to be my father," she replied with a smirk.

Ryuji grinned. "Kinda like that. So what brings you to my humble establishment?"

"Well…I heard this story at school today…," she began.

Ryuji blinked in surprise. "Miaka, not that I don't appreciate you coming all this way to see me, but isn't this the kinda thing you talk to you school friends about?"

"No, no, no…it's got to do with…you know what."

Suddenly Ryuji's face became serious, but he said nothing. Instead, Miaka felt a tingle in her mind.

_Do we have to deal with this right now?_ Ryuji's voice said, coming not from his mouth, but his soul.

_No, it's nothing you have to run out the door over,_ Miaka replied, _but I think you need to hear about it._

Okay. I'm going back to my office, Miaka. I want you to finish up your soda, then leave and go home. Tell me about it through the bond on the way, understand?

_Hai. Arigato, Ryuji._

With that Miaka took a long swallow, tossed the bottle into a trash can and walked out the door of the Golden Bushel into the bustling Tokyo street. Ryuji walked into his office, shut the door and took a seat at his desk. The worries that had been plaguing his mind were swept aside with this news of a crisis.

_I'm ready, Miaka. Go ahead._

Well, it's like this…at school today I heard that this ghost had started haunting someplace up north again. Have you ever heard about that?

Yeah, but it's just superstition.

I'm not so sure. Last night some guy was coming home from work one of the trains in the distract, and then all of a sudden, he's gone. Just disappeared right off the train. I checked the news on the internet today; it really happened.

Miaka could sense a thoughtful pause as she walked along. After a moment, Ryuji's response came.

_All right, Miaka. I promise to keep an eye out for anything else weird happening out there if you're really worried something's wrong._

Arigato, Ryuji! I better get going, I was supposed to be home an hour ago…She sensed the serious demeanor of Ryuji's mental contact suddenly come down, to be replaced by a feeling that was much more playful.

_Right. Can't save the world if you're grounded. I'll be in touch, kiddo._

_Exactly. Sayonara. _Then Miaka closed the connection.

Ryuji was not yet done, though, and did not shut himself off. _Bes, did you hear all that?_

I did, Fireguard. I am always in contact with the bond between the six of us. I trust you would like for me to observe that part of the city for any peculiar happenings?

If it's not too much trouble.

Of course not, Fireguard, the old wizard replied, _It is my duty to assist you, after all._

_Arigato, Bes,_ Ryuji replied, then shut the link.

He couldn't help thinking about how instinctively he had changed modes just then, becoming all business when Miaka revealed she had a problem, then switching to his old laidback self when she made that sheepish remark. Maybe his dilemma was more serious than he thought.

_Kisama…maybe Jase was right after all…_Jason had made himself scarce for some reason lately and he had barely said a word to Ryuji in the past three days. Definitely not typical behavior for him.

Ryuji sighed, glad no one was around to hear him. He wondered how the other sentai leaders made it look so easy. Or was he the only one who was forced to change to deal with his duties?

The sun began to lower from the sky once again, lighting up the concrete canyons of Tokyo. The stifling heat of early summer mercifully began to drop off as night approached, and many people began to relax as the working day neared its end. For others, night was the time when things began to happen.

Ryuji was locking up the Golden Bushel for the night. Thanks to the slow day he didn't need to wait for anyone to finish up before closing. He was wondering if he should call Jason, and try to straighten things out between them--_really_ straighten things out this time, but he was also thinking about heading out to be on hand if anything strange happened like Miaka was worried about. He also thought about just calling it a night and counting on Beservor to let him know if anything happened. Like the wizard had said, that kind of thing was his job.

"Ryuji-san?" someone asked all of a sudden. Ryuji whirled around, and there beside him in the street was Keitaro, the youngest of his chefs.

"Yo, Keitaro." Ryuji graced him with a smile.

"Ryuji…Daijoubu? Something going on with you, boss?" Keitaro asked, his right eyebrow quirked up questioningly.

"Nah, I'm okay," Ryuji replied. Keitaro was terribly shy at times, but a nice kid, a hard worker, and Ryuji didn't want to dump his problems on his employee. Besides, how could he explain what was bothering him?

Like many of the people Ryuji knew, however, Keitaro could see through a flimsy lie like that. "Are you sure? I mean, if you need to talk to somebody--"

Ryuji reached out and ruffled Keitaro's hair in a big-brother fashion. "I appreciate the concern, Keitaro, but I have to figure this out myself, okay?"

"Okay, boss. Just…let me know if you change your mind." With that Keitaro turned and started the walk home. Ryuji did the same.

It was unusual for him to make the considerable walk to his apartment--usually he caught a train or a bus--but tonight he wanted to do some thinking, and he did his best thinking while he was doing some physical activity. Ryuji's thoughts were on what a mess he felt like as he made the trek home. It was as if two people were wrestling for control in his mind lately, and he had no idea which he should let reign. He wanted to maintain his relations with the people like Jason who had been in his life long before the revelation, but he knew that being the lead Guardranger was a job that demanded respect and seriousness. What was it to be? Or was there another solution?

His hallway was dead when he got home and fished into his pocket for his keys. No one was around, except for an apartment down the hall where the door was open and he could hear the sounds of late night TV coming from it. That was certainly strange, because Ryuji knew the woman who lived in that apartment, and she never stayed up so late.

"Mrs. Aoi? Are you still up?" Ryuji asked as he peered into her apartment. The lights were all off, the only illumination coming from the television screen. Ryuji feared the worst for a second, that someone had broken in and he had arrived too late to do anything about it, but nothing appeared to be out of place. Especially when the elderly woman seated in front of the television turned to face him and gave him a tired sort of smile.

"Good evening, Ryuji. Where've you been?"

"Oh geez…gomen, Mrs. Aoi, I forgot. I had a lot on my mind today," Ryuji gushed apologetically as he remembered he had promised to cook supper for her that night, as he had countless nights before.

"I understand, but you had me worried, young man. You've never forgotten before."

"Yeah. I've just got a lot of stuff rolling around loose in my head lately."

Mrs. Aoi pointed to a chair next to hers, "Oh? What's been going on in your life to make you so out of touch?"

Ryuji wondered what he should say as he took a seat where she indicated. If he couldn't tell one of his chefs he couldn't tell the old lady who lived down the hall. But he wasn't surprised that she was concerned about him. Her husband had died more than twenty years before, and her daughter about twelve. The nice young man down the hall was the only one who paid her much attention anymore. He couldn't blame her for getting attached.

"Well, Mrs. Aoi, I've gotten some new responsibilities in my life recently, and my best friend thinks that it's changing me. And he's not sure if it's for the better."

The elderly woman looked at him hard. "Is your friend the only one with an opinion about it?"

"No, ma'am. I know this other person who _likes_ the idea that I'm changing."

"And what do you think of these changes?" Mrs. Aoi asked, with an unmistakable maternal edge.

"Honestly, ma'am, if I knew, this wouldn't be bothering me so much."

"Fair point," she said, leaning back in her seat and staring thoughtfully into space.

"I'm sure it'll be okay, ma'am. I just need to think it over a little more," Ryuji said. Now that he knew she was fine he wanted to just climb into bed and forget about his problems for a few solid hours, and a night of blissful sleep seemed to be the perfect solution.  
Mrs. Aoi looked at him for a long minute, then said, "All right, dear. I hope the heat doesn't get in the way you sleeping well. But come and talk to me if this keeps bothering you, understand?"

"I sure do, ma'am. Good night," Ryuji said as he left her apartment and closed the door behind him. He was fishing his keys out of his pocket as he felt it.

_Guardrangers, I have detected a powerful malignant presence. I will direct you all to wind tunnels at once._

Ryuji sighed, even though he'd asked Beservor to keep surveillance. He jogged to the elevator and hit the down button. Sleep would have to do without his companionship for a while longer.

Tokyo sprawled beneath him, glowing with millions of lights and echoing with the sounds of car horns and other urban traffic, but all of it meant nothing to him. He sensed the area below, trying to find just the right soul, who was just a _little_ too happy or content. Finally he picked something up, two young women, energetically chatting with each other with large smiles on their faces, about to board a bus on a relatively quiet street. They'd probably just gotten off work and were on the way home. They were talking back and forth about a double date they had planned for the weekend as they got on and found seats next to each other, and he knew he had found his target. He began to swoop down on the bus like a hawk, but suddenly a dark humanoid shape, like a featureless living shadow, got in his way.

"Hold, spirit. I would have words with you," the shape said, floating in mid-air as easily as he did.

"Yeah, right. Get the hell outta my way, man," the angry ghost snapped, not seeming to find anything odd about encountering a being who could defy gravity or see him before he had let himself be seen by mortal eyes.

"I've no intention of doing that; not until you've heard my offer, Gokuya Ikaru," the figure said.

The spirit drew back. It had been so long since he heard his name, he didn't recognize it for a second. "What do you want?" he asked guardedly, fixing the other with his baleful red eyes.

"You are only able to manifest yourself for one week every year, and then only at night. Is that not correct?"

"What if it is?" Ikaru growled. He didn't like this strange being who clearly knew so much about him, "I don't see how my life--or after life or whatever--is any concern of yours."

"I already know that it is. But I am here because, if you would be willing to assist me, I could change that."

Ikaru snarled and cast a beam of power at the dark shape. What kind of fool dared to waste the time of a powerful spectral creature like him? But suddenly the shape unslung a long staff from his shoulder and sucked the beam into it without a trace.

"You're strong for a ghost, but don't delude yourself thinking you're a match for the likes of me," the shape said in a cold, menacing tone.

Anger welled up inside Ikaru. "Don't delude _yourself_ into thinking I can't teach you a lesson, whoever you are."

"I see being dead hasn't done anything for your common sense," The intruder said coolly, "If indeed you had any to begin with. But I'm not here to discuss that."

"No? Then what _do _you want?" the ghost snarled.

"To offer you a unique opportunity, as I said. Are you interested?"

Ikaru narrowed his eyes. "What _kind_ of opportunity…?"

Most others wouldn't have seen anything out of place in the Tokyo night sky, but Ryuji wasn't just anyone. He could detect a strong field of malevolence hovering in the sky almost directly above him, and as he looked up could barely make out three dark shapes amidst the lights and skyscrapers.

_I'm here, Bes, and I can feel them. Where's everyone else?_

Waterguard and Airguard are on their way, Earthguard and Forestguard are occupied somewhere. Apparently their duties at work have detained them. I'm afraid you may have to take care of them by yourself for the moment.

"Great," Ryuji muttered, but didn't hesitate. Stepping out of the crowded street and into the space between two buildings, raised his arm to his face.

**"FIRE…FOCUS!"** At once his power began to rise again, engulfing his body in his crimson uniform and mask. With a stealth that would've been the envy of the finest cat burglar, Fireguard tensed himself and then jumped straight up. He sailed up onto the ledge of a building below where the dark shapes hovered. He wondered what he should do to get their attention, and if that was wise all on his own, but Fireguard really needn't have worried.

They noticed him without him having to lift a finger.

The figures suddenly vanished, then reappeared before his eyes. "Well, Gokuya, it appears you can start sooner than I expected," one said, fixing Fireguard with a pair of hateful eyes. Not as hateful as the ones belonging to the flickering figure to his left, though.

"I've never killed a hero before…I wonder what it's like," the figure to the left mused. It was a ghost, to be sure. Pale and insubstantial, made of what looked like white flame, and with Hellish red eyes staring deep into Fireguard's own.

"Sorry to say, I'm not the one you're gonna be finding that out from, pal," Fireguard said, trying to make himself believe it.

"We'll soon see, Guardranger," the first figure said. He drifted to the roof and then brandished his staff at the third figure, "Revenantia, show our friend what you can do."

The last figured float toward Fireguard, and he guessed that it was another of Garganstah's Animated Warriors. She looked like a frost-white mannequin, with a smiling face that resembled a Noh mask. "Foo…" Revenantia said in a gentle, innocent voice, then waved her hand at his face and skeletal arms shot out of the concrete and grabbed Fireguard's legs.

"Nandatto--?!"

"The beginning of your end, my friend," the first figure said. He leveled his staff at Fireguard's chest and a blast of dark light issued forth at the vermilion hero.

**"DRAGON STEEL!"** Fireguard yelled and with a vertical blast of flame his sword was in his hand. With one swing of the mighty blade he smashed the arms to pieces and flipped away from the incoming blast. "Nice shot. Your Silicons could've come closer to hitting me than that."

Vandread chuckled. "Ah, you mortals and your one-sided mentality. Who said I was trying to hit you? I just wanted to keep you busy."

"Nani?" Fireguard whirled around, justly sensing trouble from that response, and saw the ghost floating behind him. The evil apparition's eyes began to glow a harsher red, and their surroundings started to blur. The ghost laughed. Fireguard could tell he was being sent somewhere, but could tell just as clearly that he didn't intend to go.

**"DRAGON HELLBURST SLASH!"** Fireguard's sword flashed with fiery energy, and with a massive sweeping cut he slashed through the ghost with it. Ikaru screamed and the world around regained its shape and form. And Fireguard hurled himself over the side of the building. "C'mon, Ecto-Boy! Catch me if you can!"

"Why that slimy--" Ikaru spat, "I'll show him what torture is!"

"You'll do nothing of the kind!" Vandread railed at him, "It's that kind of thinking that condemned you to your miserable existence in the first place. If you want to free yourself you'll do as I say, when I say!"

Fireguard landed deftly and scurried back into the street. At once he started to draw stares, a few people even started to hurry for cover at the sight of him. Even more so after he said what he did then, "Miina! Hayakuu! There's a monster right behind me!" Screams of terror answered his warning, and as those who heard fled, those who saw began to flee also. But Fireguard paid no attention to them. He channeled his concentration into the bond, sending out a short message.

_Guys? Is anybody hearing this? I've got Garg stooges breathing down my neck!_ A moment later, replies came.

_Yeah, I see ya, man, _Jason's mental voice came back, _I'm gonna get off the street and change in a sec! Hang tight!_

Likewise, Miaka echoed a second later, _will you be okay until then, boss?_

Yeah, I'll keep them busy, but hurry up, guys! There's three of them and they're none of 'em glad to see me right now!

How right he was. Ikaru appeared a moment later, his eyes glowing brighter than ever. Behind him hovered the figure who had commanded the others, and in the light of the streets Fireguard could see the blue skin that marked him as a Garganstah. And then came the last being, Revenantia, that unnatural smile still affixed to her face. Fireguard brandished his sword and made ready to meet their attack.

"Oh, the mighty warrior has a sword, let's look out, shall we?" the Garganstah spoke with a mocking twang. But Fireguard didn't let it faze him.

"Trust me, this is all the backup I need to kick your butt. Come here and I'll give you a free sample!"

"Bold to the last, Guardranger. Come then! Come and know the power of the Baron of the Black Arts!" Vandread replied contemptuously. Fireguard swung with all his might at Vandread's torso, but the Baron's staff lashed out and blocked the blade on its edge. The crystal built into the base flared to life and before Fireguard could even register what was happening, coils of bruise-purple force lashed out of it and wrenched the Dragon Steel from his grip and lodged its blade into the sphere on Vandread's staff. Revenantia blew a kiss toward their now unarmed opponent, but it became a fiery screaming demon's face in flight. It exploded as it hit Fireguard and he went down. "Well…it seems legends are clearly overrated in your case, boy. Is this all you can do against me?"

"No, _this_ is!" An arrow whistled through the air toward Vandread's head. But he simply scowled at it and the deadly projectile shattered before it was even close to him. From out of nowhere Airguard jumped, firing her bow again, but Vandread did more than destroy her arrow this time. He concentrated, and it turned around and flew right back toward its source. She shouted in pain as it clipped her, but Waterguard rushed out of hiding and caught her as she fell.

"Foolish children," Vandread scoffed, "Revenantia, take care of them. I'll handle their red friend here."

"Foo…" Revenantia replied as she floated over toward Airguard. Vandread lifted his staff to smash the still-stunned Fireguard, but Ikaru got in the way.

"I want this boy scout so bad I can taste it, Vandread. Where was this bastard when I was in trouble--when I was still alive?? I'm gonna drink his goddamned blood!"

"You'll do _nothing_ without my leave, Ikaru. If you ever want to be freed of your curse, do as I bid you!" Vandread said.

"It's just _one_ guy, man! Why're so you're so worried about him?"

"I guess you don't know just how strong just one guy is." In a flash Fireguard had reached up, seized Vandread's staff from the surprised Baron's hands and darted down the street with it.

"As if a master of magic such as myself could be separated from the focus of his power so easily," Vandread scoffed, then snapped his fingers and melted away, only to reappear an instant later right in front of Fireguard. "Pulling juvenile tricks? Is that the strength of one? It's no match for a Baron of Garganstah, boy."

"Oh yeah? Who's the one without his weapon?"

Vandread hissed a word in a language Fireguard couldn't identify and the staff started to trembled in his grip. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the Dragon Steel, and held on for all he was worth when the staff rocketed into Vandread's hand a second later. But Fireguard's grip was strong, and the Dragon Steel remained in his grasp as the staff pulled free.

"Clever, Ranger. But something tells me that luck won't serve you so well a second time," Vandread said as Ikaru's sneering face loomed over Fireguard's shoulder.

"Foo…" Revenantia said distantly as she floated between Water and Airguard, looking as if she didn't even notice them. Airguard swiped at the monster with her bow like a sword, slicing into Revenantia's arm. She expected a cry of pain, for Revenantia to jerk away or even blast her into the sky. But that carefree smile stayed on the monster's face. "Foo…" Revenantia said again, but with a hint of force behind it this time. She suddenly lashed out with one hand, grabbing Airguard by the mask.

"Nani?" Airguard began. But suddenly Revenantia's grasping hand grew and surrounded her head, then detached and solidified into a block of thick white…something. A new hand appeared on Revenantia's arm, and she wafted backward with a gentle "Foo…" escaping her lips.

Airguard stumbled around, trying desperately to free her head. "Hold on, kid! I'm coming!" Waterguard shouted, but as he ran to aid his teammate Revenantia's expression shifted, a devilish glare appearing in her painted-on eyes.

"Foo!" Even as Waterguard lunged at Revenantia with his Orca Brand held steady, she thrust her palm at his face. He was expecting Revenantia to try to trap him as she had his teammate, but the joke was on him. Revenantia grabbed his mask but as she did, she flexed her power and summoned up a terrifying image in Waterguard's eyes. A hideous creature, forming from mist and striding toward him. He recognized it at once. Drallion, the only monster who'd ever contested his command of the water.

"No way…! Dude…you're supposed to be dead!" Waterguard yelled in disbelief, a cold wave of dread caused by Revenantia's influence filling up in his stomach.

"Serves you right for not making sure then, doesn't it?" Drallion laughed, then attacked.

Revenantia's smile became devilish as she seized a Waterguard paralyzed by fear by the neck and hurled him down the street. But Waterguard saw Drallion, his mighty tentacles wrapping around his body and bashing him mercilessly against the ground. As she drove her talons into his neck, he saw Drallion biting with his fierce beak. And as Revenantia brought up her fist to entomb Waterguard from head to toe like she had with Airguard, Waterguard saw Drallion leveling his tentacles to shoot his ink.

Airguard struggled. Her vision began to darken and a feeling of lightheadedness took over with no oxygen getting in, but she wouldn't let her team, or herself, go down to defeat. She gathered all the air left in her lungs, and sang out.

**"HAWK DIRGE!"** The block surrounding her head shattered, and she took in breath in ragged gasps. The monster would pay for that! And she didn't have to look far. Revenantia had Waterguard in her grip, about to deliver a lethal blow, but not if the Ranger of Air had anything to say about it.

With a practiced ease Miaka didn't have, Airguard leveled her bow at Revenantia's back.

**"HAWK SOUL SNIPER!" **she called and let an arrow fly with all her strength. Revenantia had no idea what hit her in the next second as the arrow exploded against her back with a terrific backlash of wind and white light, sending her reeling head over heels through the air and knocking Waterguard to relative safety on the ground.

"Oh man, what happened…? I thought I saw Drallion again…"

"The only thing I saw was that Noh mask reject trying to fit me for a hat I didn't need. Daijoubu?"

"Yeah, where's Ryuji?"

Battling the other two malcontents, was the answer. Vandread swung his staff at the hero's head, only for it to be deflected with a sweep of his Dragon Steel. Ikaru extended his arms to catch Fireguard in his deathly-cold embrace, but with an enviable spin and thrust Fireguard drove his Dragon Steel deep into the ghost's body. Ikaru screamed and drew back. Vandread cast a spell and the ground under Fireguard's began to crack, but with an acrobatic leap he jumped out of the way before it collapsed into a bottomless abyss.

"Is that all you guys got?" Fireguard challenged as he stood between the two of them, sword raised to resume battle at a moment's notice.

Ikaru bellowed with frustration. "I'll show you what I've got, boy scout!" His eyes flared up to the darkest red Fireguard had ever seen, and his surroundings began to ripple.

"Stop, you dolt! _Stop_, I say!" Vandread roared, but the die had been cast. Fireguard ran, to attack, to stop whatever Ikaru was doing again. Fireguard felt like he was being twisted inside out, then fading from where he was. In an instant he was gone.

"Hah! That'll teach him to mess with a ghost…" Ikaru huffed, a sneer of triumph on his face.

"Fool…"

"Nandatto?" Ikaru whirled around, but stopped short when he saw the bright red light thrumming in Vandread's eyes.

"Fool. That's what I said, and that's _precisely_ what you are, you half-witted, undead imbecile!!!" Vandread spit at him. "I told you we needed him, and you just cast him into the pit itself!"

Ikaru was, of course, by now, thoroughly confused. "What's the big deal, man? One less good guy in your way."

"You're a creature of the Underworld and yet your ignorance of it is astounding! By the Seven Demons, how your wretched race managed to keep dominion over the Earth for this long, I'll _never_ know! But perhaps we can still salvage something useful from this operation…Revenantia! Come!"

"Foo…" his creation replied as she hovered to his side.

"What about those guys?" Ikaru demanded.

"If you do as I say, we'll have the forces to conquer two thousand heroes. But know this, mortal…" Vandread snarled in a tone that meant he would brook no further insubordination, "defy me again, and your fate will be far worse than the one I have in mind for the Guardrangers. Now come. We've a strategy to prepare."

Ikaru grunted and the three of them flickered and vanished.

"Fireguard?" Airguard called out as they rounded the bend.

"Dude! You here?" Waterguard called. Silence was the reply.

"Oh no…do you think they got him???"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's not go there, kiddo. Fireguard's a lot of things, but a wuss and a pushover, aren't two of 'em," Waterguard replied. But despite his words, he was feeling a little nervous himself. Instantly both tried to reach out to Fireguard with their bond, but felt only each other nearby.

"I've got a really bad feeling about this…where are you, bro?"

Falling…he could tell he was falling. Toward a distant point of red light. And his skin was tingling through his armor. But Fireguard's mind was on the falling. It seemed to take forever, and for some reason reminded him vaguely of a scene from a big-screen comedy Jason had taken him to once.

Of course, there was nothing comical about any of this. A fact that was making itself clearer by the second as the red light below him got bigger, closer, and the tingling over his body intensified. A second later Fireguard could make out that it was a gaping pit of molten lava, with craggy shelves and pillars of blackened stone protruding up and out of the lava and from the sides of the huge cliff. He was heading toward one near the outer rim, and he held his breath as he hit with a crash.

"Last time I try that," Fireguard moaned to himself as he got up. Suddenly the tingling he'd been feeling got even stronger, and an instant later his armor shattered off his body.

"Nandatto??" Ryuji sat upright to get his bearings….

…and instantly wished he hadn't.

The scene around him looked like it'd been ripped straight out of a childhood nightmare. He stood on the edge of the lava pool he'd seen while he was falling. The heat was stifling and oppressive; so much so that Ryuji couldn't take a decent breath without his lungs feeling like they'd spontaneously combust. Jets of flame sprang up out of the ground almost constantly, licking against spears of sharp, jagged rock jutting up from the violated ground below.

But what unnerved him was the screaming. Terrorized wails and cries of people in unimaginable pain and torment thundered against his ears. Sweat rolled down Ryuji's forehead and dampened his red shirt. His blue jeans were torn in a few spots, exposing his legs to the infernal heat. His white and red sneakers were the only part of his clothing that was still intact.

He looked at his Guardbrace only to see the gentle glow of its red stone fade and die. Ryuji swallowed hard, a wave of fear beginning to rise in the pit of his belly. He reached behind him without thinking and grabbed at a shaft of rock sticking up out of the ground. It was razor sharp and hot, digging deep into the palm of his hand.

**"AGGH!" **Ryuji cried out in pain and jerked his hand away cradling it to his chest. Then he stared down at it reluctantly to assess the damage. The gash was deep and the flow of blood over his fingers was immediate. The heat from the stone had cauterized it somewhat, but the wound was already beginning to throb with pain.

"Kisama!" he cursed angrily. Ryuji climbed to his feet, clutching his injured hand. But as he did, a storm of furious voices, none of them even remotely human-sounding, came from below. He gazed over the edge, and gasped.

In the firepit below were a clamoring, slavering horde of monstrous figures, shouting the insults at him. "Well…look who's deigned to come and visit us!" one called mockingly.

"Why don't you come down and say hello, hero?" another one laughed, scooping a handful of lava and flinging it up at him. Ryuji darted back and the fiery projectile missed.

"Shy, huh? We'll take care of that," another sneered as he began clawing up the wall toward Ryuji.

_Oh, man…not good…not good at all. I gotta put some distance between me and these guys before they get the urge to come up here and shake hands! _With a speed he didn't think he was capable of, Ryuji turned and ran into the darkness.

"Hey, he's runnin' away!"

"After him! We'll wear his teeth for a string of pearls!"

Ryuji had no intention of leaving his teeth or any other part of his anatomy to their not-so-tender mercies. He ran into a maze of stalagmites and hid behind one as quickly as he could.

"Where did he go?" one voice demanded over the din of many others.

"That way!" another responded, and the sound of their yelling disappeared into the distance.

"Kisama…that was close," Ryuji whispered, his hand beginning to throb again since the adrenaline rush had worn off and he had the luxury of feeling pain. He thought for a moment about what he had just been through; the monsters, his powers shutting down suddenly, the firepit, the screaming...they all left him with one burning question:

"Where am I?"

"What the hell did they do to him?"

_"If I knew, Waterguard, I would tell you," _the ancient psychic voice of Beservor intoned, _"I have not been able to sense Fireguard's presence anywhere on the islands since your battle."_

The team had gathered at the Earth Sanctum to plan their next move. But with nothing to go on, it wasn't easy. Naoko yawned tried to straighten her tangled hair without the benefit of a mirror and a hairbrush. Tochiro was still blinking sleep from his eyes. But both of them looked ready to pitch in as soon as there was something they could pitch in to.

"We gotta figure this out, you guys. Ryu's dead if we don't," Jason said.

_"Then let us review the events that culminated in Fireguard's disappearance," _Beservor advised. _"What happened when the two of you got there?"_

"Three guys were fighting with Ryu. There was a Garg, and two monsters. One of 'em looked like a mannequin, and the other one looked like…a ghost?"

"You don't sound sure," Naoko chimed in.

"I'm not," Jason replied, "That mannequin monster started fighting us right then and that was the last I saw of Ryu and the other guys."

"A ghost…" Miaka muttered.

_"Can you describe this Garganstah?"_ Beservor asked. _"My viewpoint of the battle was interfered with by his powers."_

Jason scrunched his face up in thought. "Yeah, uh…blue-haired dude in armor with a funky-looking cape. Oh, and some kinda weird staff with a crystal thingamajig at the top of it.

_"The Baron of the Black Arts, it must be," _Beservor said solemnly.

"Another one? How many of these guys are there, Bes?" Tochiro asked.

_"Garganstah has always divided its military into three sections, Forestguard; that of pure war, and the others of science and sorcery. If that was who you fought, I fear for more than Fireguard's life."_

"Oh, man…why?" Jason asked, unable to hide his growing apprehension.

_"Because I observed the battle as best I could, even though the combatants' powers seemed to be interfering with my scrying spell, and I thought I could sense some form of dimensional rupture occurring. There are thousands upon thousands of wicked realms into which a being with enough supernatural power could banish someone, and taking into account Garganstah's sentiments toward all of us, I believe this is precisely what became of Fireguard."_

"Which one did it, though?" Miaka suddenly asked.

Beservor made a surprised sound, but replied_, "The ghost-creature, I believe. The Baron seemed to be trying to stop him."_

"But why recruit a ghost if he already had a monster to help him?" Naoko asked.

_"That is a mystery unto itself, Earthguard. But if we solve it, Fireguard may yet be saved." _"And I think I might know how," Miaka said, surprising everyone.

"What makes you so sure, kiddo?" Jason asked.

"I'll tell you later. Right now I need Bes to help me find something out…"

Vandread stood at the top of a Tokyo skyscraper, surveying the lights of the city below with his staff resting against his shoulder. Behind him hovered Ikaru and Revenantia.

"Look, man…gomenesai," said Ikaru, "I didn't know he was so important."

"If I thought you deserved the full measure of my wrath, mortal, I would've rid myself of you by now. But I suppose this is my fault for trusting a mortal, even a mortal's ghost, to be able to follow a Garganstah's instructions," Vandread responded without turning to face him. Ikaru was taken aback, but Vandread spun around. "But in any event, this is just a minor hindrance to my plan, nothing more. I may not be able to sacrifice the Soldier of the Inferno from where he is, but I can still use his presence there to complete my designs. It'll just take a little more effort."

"And then I get what I'm after."

"Of course. You're going to have to help me a little more than originally intended, though. Revenantia, would you please?"

"Nani?" Ikaru spluttered. He spun around to see Revenantia right behind him, the devilish smile on her face once again.

"Foo!" Before Ikaru could reach she thrust her hands into him. At once they began to enlarge and spread, engulfing his ghostly body and covering him in a ghost-shaped shell. Her work done, Revenantia reversed the process, and the ghost-shaped shell shrank into her palms. Vandread smiled.

Power surged across Revenantia's body. Small nodules appeared on her arms, shoulders and legs. A moment later they grew taller, sharper, and in seconds were spikes six inches long. Her body grew as well, wider, stronger. Fangs appeared in her grin. She was now a demon from the confines of the worst nightmare.

"I apologize for the deception, my friend, but I need your power to transport beings to Hell. Without being able to tap the lead Guardrangers' power to help open the portal, I need to make greater use of yours. Multiplied by merging with my Animated Warrior, soon that power will be able to bring creatures from Hell. After that, we'll see about your reward."

Ikaru could hear Vandread speaking, but it sounded to him as if he was stuck at the bottom of a well. And considering his predicament, it wasn't that different. Ikaru wanted to shout, to scream, to tell Vandread exactly what kind of back-stabbing scum he was, but his voice was trapped as well.

All he could do was listen to the sound of an affirmative "Foo…"

"Fire…Focus! Fire…Focus!" Ryuji collapsed. It was no good. Every time he tried to call his powers up all he got for his trouble was a very memorable shock that knocked him on his butt. Reluctantly he gave up and started looking for a way back without the protection of his powers.

This liability added to his caution as he explored the cave, though. A minute later he heard a moan come from above, and looked up in morbid curiosity. What he saw made his blood freeze in his veins. In a web of chains, hundreds, maybe thousands of people, many partially decomposed, hung from the ceiling. When they noticed his attention, all of them began to moan. The sound terrified Fireguard. A single thought entered his mind. To run, to escape, and he gave into it.

As he ran, a black, foggy shape whistled toward, a human face in it laughing at him echoingly as it went past. But this just made Ryuji go even faster. More of the wispy faces began to dance around Ryuji's head, laughing at him, but he waved his arms and dispersed them. Finally he stopped by the bank of a pool of lava to catch his breath. He heard a shout and turned toward it.

In the middle of the lava, unharmed by the heat, he saw Arbast, the fire-breathing monster that was the first one he and Hellscar had fought at giant size. Arbast loosed his flaming breath at another monster, who back with its enormous tongue. Another joined in as the two began to fight.

That answered the question of where he was. His stomach went cold inside.

"Kami-sama…" He whispered, suddenly feeling terribly alone. "Jigoku…I'm in Hell…"

Suddenly a hand dropped onto his shoulder. Ryuji yelped and grabbed the arm, whirling around to see what kind of Hell beast had snuck up on him, but was in for a surprise. There stood Jason.

"Jase?! What're you doin' here?"

"Takin' in the tourist attractions. Lookin' for you, dude, what else? You okay? I've been freaked out something awful since you faded out on us, man."

"Dude, I'm in Hell! How okay can I be???" Ryuji stopped himself, took a breath. "Gomen, Jase…ever since I got here, I've been chased by every kind of generic and brand-name monster I've ever seen. Not good for the nerves, I can tell you."

"Hey, no problem," Jason caught Ryuji in a half-hug. But it's all good, man, since we found a way outta this overgrown blast furnace."

"Jase, no offense, but this is Hell. You don't just hail a taxi and drive out."

"Dude, hello! Like I'd actually joke about something like _that_? I never thought being a superhero was changing you that much…"

Ryuji stopped. It was as if Jason had read his mind, and then yanked what he found to the front of Ryuji's thoughts. Was the responsibility of being Fireguard really driving Ryuji away from the fixtures of his previous life?

"You're right, man. Let's get outta here."

"That's what I wanted to hear. This way, dude." And with that Jason led him through the cavern. A minute of walking later, a blue light appeared around a corner. They rounded it, and a swirling blue vortex hovered in front of them.

"There it is, bro. Let's get going."

Ryuji caught Jason's arm. "Wait a minute, Jase. Where are the others?"

"They musta gone through already. Let's not keep 'em waiting."

"Sure, man." Ryuji stepped toward the vortex, but stopped. Something about it was wrong. It was too easy, that was what. If this portal really led back to Earth, why weren't the evil dead using it on a regular basis? "On second thought, I'm not so sure…"

"Why, dude? Don't tell me you're shopping for real estate down here now."

"This is all just a little too easy, getting out for Hell. Or into it, for that matter. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Bes found a way to send us here to look for you. For God's sake, man, what's up with all the suspicion?"

The stone on Ryuji's Guardbrace flared. "You're not Jason. What are you pulling?!" But he thought better than to wait for an answer. He just turned and ran.

"I can't believe you, Ryu! You're someone I don't know anymore!" Jason's cries were replaced by screams an instant later as a noisy, slavering beast sank its teeth into his flesh. That was what it sounded like, anyway.

It had been a trick. It had to have been a trick. But then why did he feel like he had let his best friend behind to be devoured by some kind of hell beast? Ryuji slumped next to a stalagmite. What if that really had been Jason, and what if he really had passed up a chance to escape? What if Jason was…

Ryuji's eyes welled up at the horrible thought, then drifted to his Guardbrace, and the glow had gone out. He buried his face in his hands and groaned.

"Kisama…what am I gonna do now? Am I stuck here?"

"Hai, Fireguard-san. As long as your mind is in conflict with itself."

"Nani yo?" Ryuji looked up and saw a shimmering figure standing before him, totally out of place in the most evil of realms. It was Riki. "Kingranger! Man, am I glad to see you! How do I get outta here??"

"You have to bring some good to this place, but you can't do that if your mind is in turmoil."

"I know, but--"  
"Fireguard-san, losing your focus is one of the greatest mistakes one in your position can make. What good is all the power and skill in the world if your mind is not on the battle in which you fight? Youare letting the issue with Waterguard dominate your mind."

"Whoa, hold it. You saying I shouldn't care about my friends, my teammates? I haven't been able to talk to my best friend in days, because of what he must think of me now," Ryuji asked, feeling agitation starting to build up from Riki's words.

"Gomen, Fireguard-san. I didn't mean to imply you shouldn't. Of course your friend's position in your life is important. But everything in its time. You are the leader of the Guardrangers, you have duties to every person in the world, not just one. That must always come first. Especially if you ever plan on seeing Earth again. Afterwards, think of your personal concerns."

As he said that, Riki's image began to flicker and fade. "Fireguard-san, you must bring good to this place to escape it, but you cannot do that while your mind still contains conflict…"

A moment later the image was gone. "Wonder if he's gonna do that every time something bugs me…" Ryuji said, not that he was ungrateful for having someone around to set him back on track.

"Hey! There he is!" echoed a cry from not far away. It was the party of monsters that had chased him when he got there in the first place. Ryuji took off running again. The chase was on again.

If circumstances had been any different, Airguard wouldn't have been doing what she was planning. But a friend's life was at stake, and if there was any hope of saving him, she would not hesitate.

And she didn't.

Her urgent knocking on the door resounded down the mansion hallway, and she imagined she'd wake up a couple people she'd rather she hadn't. But all that mattered was getting the attention of the people in the apartment she was in front of now. The door swung violently open.

"Who's making all that infernal racket at this time of night?!" a weathered old voice bellowed from inside.

Several other doors began to open to see what was going on, and her comrades shifted uncomfortably behind her, but Airguard calmly replied, "Is this the Gokuya residence?"

"Are you out of your minds banging on my door at this Kami-forsaken hour?? Get out of here!" the old man yelled, and started to slam the door, but Miaka stuck out her hand and stopped it.

"Gomen, Gokuya-san, but we need to talk to you about Ikaru."

Some of the hostility left the old man's face and was replaced by something else. "Ikaru's dead."

"We know. That's the problem we need to talk about."

The old man hesitated, and whatever anger he had left seemed to drain out of him. "Maybe you better come in for a minute."

"Arigato gozaimasu," Airguard replied, and she and her brightly-clad entourage entered the apartment.

"I should've known it wasn't anything normal you wanted to talk about, showing up dressed like that and in the middle of the night," the old man said as he ushered them into seats around his kitchen table and proceed to busy himself making a pot of tea. "Any of you drink tea?"

"The helmets make it kinda hard, sir. But thanks for the offer."

He mumbled something, poured himself a cup and then sat down at the table, "So what is it about my dead son that brings you here in the middle of the night?"

"Those stories about him coming back for a week every year looking for revenge…they're true."

Mr. Gokuya sighed wearily. "Ikaru was a good boy, but he was always too short-tempered for his own good. I suppose that's why all this started."

"Can you tell us exactly what happened that night?"

Waterguard fidgeted as she asked that. "Kid, we're in kind of a hurry, remember?"

"No, I'm afraid I can't. I wasn't there to see it. And the only witness is still sleeping, I hope."

"Daddy? Is someone out there with you? What was all that noise?" Five heads turned toward the source of a girl's voice. There was the 'clack' of crutches as she, a young black-haired girl, laboriously entered the room with the aid of her support mechanisms.

"Sona, go back to bed."

"What's going on? I heard you talking about Ikaru," she said simply, not showing much of a reaction to having a superhero team in her kitchen, "What's happening about him? And what are the Guardrangers doing here?"

"His ghost was responsible for the disappearance of our leader. We came here hoping you might be able to help us deal with him, somehow," Earthguard replied.

Tears began to trickle from Sona's eyes. "Ni-san…" Forestguard stood up and offered his seat to the young girl, and she gratefully sank into it, "Why did he do that? Why did he do that?"

"Can you tell us what happened on that night?" Airguard asked as gently as she could.

Sona sniffled, "I'll try. Ikaru was my big brother, and I loved him so much. We'd been visiting Mom, and when it was over we started to walk home. It was pretty late, but we didn't think anything would happen to us. But soon Ikaru thought we should cut through some alleys to save time so dad wouldn't get mad at us for coming home late."

Mr. Gokuya harrumphed.

"Onegai, go on."

"Some driver, I think he was drunk, was going past and went over the curb just as we were coming out onto the street again. It hit us and sped off. I hit a streetlight and almost broke my spine…I guess you could tell. Ikaru…," she said as tears started to fill her eyes, "Ikaru didn't make it."

"What was he like when he was alive, Sona-kun?" Forestguard asked.

Mr. Gokuya answered for her, "Ikaru was a really good kid. He tried hard in school. He worked hard at his part-time job. He always made time for us, and for his mother. But he was always just a little…"

"Short-tempered," Sona finished, "He could almost never let go of his anger once something bad happened. That's why I almost believed them when the stories started to spread. All that about a ghost coming after people for revenge--it sounded just like my brother after someone made him mad."

"Maybe you can help us, then. Ikaru's ghost is working with our enemies. We don't know why, but maybe if you could come with us next time he appears and talk him out of it or something…" Airguard trailed off, her plan to request help hampered a bit by seeing exactly who she might be putting in harm's way. But Ryuji's life was at stake, so she didn't allow herself to back down. She would protect them as well as look out for her friend if they agreed.

Mr. Gokuya wasn't exactly understanding. "You're the heroes, aren't you? It's your job to handle all this supernatural insanity. Why should my daughter risk what health she has left trying to talk to a crazy ghost?"

"Because that 'crazy ghost' is all that's left of your son, Gokuya-san," Earthguard replied, with a touch of anger in her tone. "Any decent father would do anything he could to try and reach him, ghost or no ghost."

"You go, girl," Waterguard grinned from under his helmet. And for once, Earthguard wasn't annoyed by the comment.

Mr. Gokuya grimaced with guilt, but Sona looked willing. "She's right. Dad, not even heroes are perfect. And if Ikaru really has been terrorizing all those people like the stories say, we should try to help. What do you need us to do?"

"Just be ready to come and help us reason with the ghost next time we detect him," Airguard replied, feeling warm relief that they were cooperating, just before she felt Beservor's ethereal brush against her mind.

_Rangers, the Baron has returned and I sense a great deal of black magic in his vicinity! He is concentrating so much power that there is no telling what chaos he plans to unleash!_

"Bring some good to this place…bring some good to this place…geez, how do I do that?" Ryuji thought as he tried to avoid detection by the terrors infesting the recesses of Hell. He reflected on Kingranger's words, and wondered if they were really true. When he'd fought Vandread and his monster before, surely his doubts hadn't put him at a disadvantage then. But that scene with Jason…or whoever it had been, had sure rocked him.

Just the idea of his best friend meeting such a horrible end made him sick. He'd suddenly remembered Jason had left him a message an his answering service about the two of them hanging out at his place for the weekend, now that escrow on the place had finally cleared. He hadn't jumped on the idea and said "yes" outright, but now he found himself wishing he had. Ryuji hadn't realized how big an impact Jason's presence had on his life until he thought he'd been devoured whole by some hell-beast. Maybe it was time to re-assess all that.

That was, if he ever got out of there..

As he walked along, lost in his thoughts, Ryuji absently stepped on a rock, which responded by letting out a piercing scream, and instants later he heard the inhuman growls of monsters coming closer. Ryuji took a deep breath and got ready to run once again, but he was too late.

A winged, cat-faced monster with an Egyptian headdress jumped into his path of escape with a growl. Ryuji turned and tried to escape in a different direction, but there was another monster blocking his path, this one red and somewhere between lizard and flower. Then a third appeared, a tin-plated robot-like creature with a helicopter rotor on his head. But then another monster jumped out of the shadows, one shaped like a giant bee, and another, a cat-like creature covered in weapons, appeared as well. He was completely surrounded!

The monsters started to move closer, cackling maniacally at the chance to get a taste of revenge on the likes of those who had sent them to that dismal place. His only escape was to find a way to bring some good to Hell, but how could he do that, surrounded by monsters, and without his powers?

Vandread readied himself. He had opened gateways to other realms hundreds of times before, but never had he done so with the intent of piercing the dimensional veil to the most evil realm of all. Such would be a rare challenge worthy of him.

"Don't worry, mortal," he said, "You'll be freed once I've gotten what I need. I just need a little more of you than I anticipated before, thanks to you costing me the most vital ingredient in this ritual."

Ikaru could hear Vandread's calm words echoing down to him, but he only thought about their bargain. Did he agree to it because he really trusted the Baron, or because he hadn't dared trifle with someone so powerful? Now what power Ikaru had had been enslaved.

A troubling thought entered his spectral mind. What would he do if the curse was broken, if he never had to leave Earth again? Would he keep terrorizing human beings? What would happen to him if he didn't? For the first time since his death, he felt something other than pure, unadulterated hate. It was fear. Fear of what would become of him, especially if the Baron was the kind of man he seemed.

Vandread began to chant and wave his staff mystically, the air around him beginning to glow. A simple portal ritual was all this needed, added to the power residing inside Revenantia. He shouted a final phrase, thrust the tip of his staff toward the sky, and a pinprick of green light appeared in the distance.

"Now, Revenantia! Take that spirit's power and focus it, use it to find the one we need and tear open the barriers confining the denizens of the abyss!" Vandread shouted like a lunatic. Revenantia did as he commanded, and Ikaru felt his essence being pulled from all sides. Then she directed it toward the pinprick Vandread had prepared for her, and it began to widen. But all of a sudden a brave voice called out.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!"

The monsters circled him and jumped back and forth, probably trying to scare Ryuji before they took him out. And scared he was. Who wouldn't be, as a mere mortal being faced down by five monsters?

The Egyptian monster, Dora Sphinx, kicked him in the ribs and he went down. Bee Nejire shot a flurry of smaller insects at him that exploded all around where he lay. Ryuji got up and jumped out of the way just as the cat monster, Sniper Cat, fired a bazooka that destroyed the area he'd just been laying in. A flurry of chaotic thoughts entered Ryuji's head as he wondered how he could possibly survive another minute against those horrors.

But he forced his mind to empty. It was as when he stopped griping about the responsibilities; he realized for a fraction of a second how much was riding on him and his team. The little things like his restaurant and even his friendship with Jason were nothing compared to it. Yes, they were essential and important fixtures in his life, but he couldn't let them rule the entirety of it, let alone when he put on his uniform and shouldered the responsibility of the lives of everything in the world.

As he thought that a rejuvenating warmth settled over him. His cuts and bruises stopped aching, the gaping gash in his hand healed completely, and the crimson glow of his Guardbrace returned, brighter than he'd ever seen it. Without hesitation Ryuji called out to his powers.

**"FIRE--FOCUS!"**

And it came. At last, it came. He could hear Hellscar's roar as his uniform wove itself and the Dragon Steel materialized in his hand without even being called. The monsters shrank back, but only for a second. After all, the odds were five to one in their favor. How could he possibly win?

If they could've seen Fireguard's confident smile, they might have thought better of it.

"Maintain the spell, Revenantia! I'll see to our guests!" Vandread said to his creation, then faced his unwelcome visitors. To his complete lack of surprise, it was the remaining Guardrangers. But he was surprised to see they weren't alone. Two other humans--a middle-aged man and a girl on crutches--stood behind their defensive line.

"If you know what's good for you, Baron, give us back Fireguard!" Earthguard commanded.

"Of course, my dear," Vandread replied mellowly, "provided there's anything left of him by the time I don't need him anymore." In the sky, the pinprick of light became brighter and larger. Vandread leveled his staff at the Rangers, "Now why don't you be good little boys and girls and leave before you get into trouble?"

"Dude, **_you're_** gonna be the one in trouble if you don't tell us where my bro is and haul your butt outta here!" Waterguard shot back, leveling his weapon at Vandread in kind.

"Bah! I don't have time for your idle threats, Ranger. I've bigger fish to fry!" He hissed a word and a column of flames shot from the tip of his staff. The Guardrangers made ready to dodge the blast, but to their surprise, they were not its target. The flames arced through the air, toward the Gokuyas.

Airguard threw her hand out. **"HAWK WIND GUARDIAN!"** At once, a whirling barrier of air roared to life in front of the Gokuyas, safely dispersing the fiery attack.

Vandread didn't squander anymore attention on them. His plan needed to be completed in haste with their arrival, and the only way to speed up the ritual was to increase the power of the one performing it.

**"Chaos unbound, entropy rise, spirit of evil, now grow in size!" **Vandread called, aiming his staff at Revenantia. Instantly a field of golden energy issued from it and surrounded his Animated Warrior. Revenantia stepped off the side of the building, but almost an instant later, her feet were on the ground, and the people on the top of the building were now at her eye level.

**"FOOOOO!!!!"** she said deafeningly, and the light in the sky continued to grow ever larger.

"Oh boy…did this idea ever get out of hand in a hurry…"

Tin-Plated Org, the robot-like monster, stepped forward and tried to take a bite out of Fireguard with the claw on his arm, only to have it--arm and all--shorn off by a sweeping slash from his sword. A single stroke took care of Torinoid #1, and the vivisected monster fell and exploded. A screaming ghostly mass erupted from its remains before flitting off into the distance.

"Not so tough now, huh?" Fireguard crowed, but didn't wait for the monsters to answer, and neither did they. Dora Sphinx aimed his crook at Fireguard and a barrage of energy bolts flew from it. The Soldier of the Inferno was caught off-guard and blasted across the cavern, but hoisted his smoking body up an instant later. A blast from behind nearly knocked him off his feet, and Fireguard turned to see the cat-like creature, Sniper Cat, lining up another shot.

Needless to say, he never got the chance. **"DRAGON HELLRISER!"** Fireguard shouted as he went into his spiraling attack, this time with the Dragon Steel thrust out where his fist normally was, and repeatedly slashed the half-living, half-mechanical creature. Fireguard kept it up, even though he felt his power ebbing slightly, but that only made him pour more strength into his attack. A moment later Sniper Cat had been reduced to a pile of smoking rubble.

The monsters that were still standing lined up and fired at the hero all at once. Dora Sphinx beat his wings, Tin-Plated Org launched the exploding rotor from his head, and Bee Nejire launched a swarm of insects from the hive on his arm. Explosions erupted all around Fireguard and he was nearly blown off his feet, but he sank his sword into the ground and held onto it with all he possessed. As the monsters paused to see if they'd done him in, Fireguard suddenly jumped up and wrenched his sword free. Charging it with all of his power, he shouted, **"HELLION IMPACT!"** They never what hit them as the blazing circle of fire consumed them.

Fireguard leaned against the wall, breathing in gasps. No wonder heroes worked in teams, he thought. But he had won, and could feel the drain on his powers fading fast. That wasn't all, though, as the veil of hate and violence he had been surrounded by since he arrived seemed to be receding, even if just a little.

"Whoa…I'm alive…what now, though?"

"Nothing, Fireguard-san," a familiar voice replied, and Riki's image appeared before him, "You are not the kind meant for this evil realm, and you've brought some good here by destroying those creatures. You have it within your power to leave with the weakening of the evil."

"What about those monsters I killed? Are they still here? Or they…nowhere?" Fireguard asked.

"It no longer matters, Fireguard-san. Your friends are at a disadvantage without you. You must go to their aid at once."

"I sure don't want to hang around here unless I have to," Fireguard admitted, before he felt a sharp tingling like when he'd arrived. His body started to glow bright red, and an instant later he had changed into the burning image of a dragon, and instinctively took off, piercing the cavernous roof of the infernal realm and winging its way back to Earth.

"This day will mark the end of you and your heroic breed, Guardrangers!" Vandread gloated, "Any moment now that portal will open and every monster and demon the likes of you has ever killed will run riot across this city and then destroy the human race!" The giant Revenantia concentrated, and the portal in the sky started to swell.

:"Waterguard, you're coming with me. The rest of you, call your Beasts and keep that thing busy," Earthguard ordered.

"Done," Airguard replied.

"So what are we gonna do, boss-lady?" Waterguard asked.

"We'll see what we can do about raining all over the good Baron's parade."

"Works for me," Waterguard replied, cracking his knuckles.

Forest and Airguard gathered themselves, then called out, "GUARD BEASTS, AWAKEN!" The response was immediate as their companions shook of their slumber. Treebasher raced through the forest where he made his home, and Windshear screamed down from the heavens. They pulled their companion Rangers aboard, then without needing to be prompted charged toward Revenantia.

Vandread cast a spell and the ground exploded around the remaining pair of Rangers. But the heroes charged through the blast, attacking him with all their might.

"**SEISMIC FORCE!"**

"ABSOLUTE ZERO!"

Both powerful elemental attacks streaked toward the Baron, hitting him full-force. But they were met by the full force of a defensive barrier he'd woven around himself and did little more than make him grit his teeth. "You'll have to deliver a better effort than _that_, Guardrangers!"

"Our pleasure!"

"Hers, anyway."

Meanwhile, Treebasher and Windshear took on Revenantia. Treebasher grabbed her around the waist with his mighty arms, and Windshear repeatedly took dives at the monster's head, raking it with her talons. But though her attention was on opening the door to the abyss, she was more than capable of fighting back.

The spikes on her back suddenly elongated, stabbing Treebasher in the chest and shoulders and flinging him onto his back. A pair shot out of her head as Windshear came in for another dive, striking the hawk out of the sky. Earth and Waterguard gasped as their teammates fell.

But suddenly Sona limped forward. Nobody had told her where her brother's ghost was, but she could feel him, his desperation and fear, from inside the monster.

"Ni-san, matte!" she shouted. Revenantia froze in place. Sona summoned up her courage and cried out again, "Ni-san, onegai! Don't do this! This isn't you!" And her words did not go unheard. Deep within Revenantia, her captive could hear his sister's words.

"Sona?" he asked weakly, even though he was sure she couldn't hear.

Mr. Gokuya joined in, "Ikaru, if you can hear us, you've got to stop this! You can't let that door open! If you still love us, come back to us, Ikaru!"

And inside Revenantia, Ikaru's spirit almost wept, "Dad…Sona…I never stopped loving you…I just…couldn't stop hating everything else…" But his anguish turned to anger. To righteous fury at the one who him imprisoned him and her loathsome master. He struggled, fought with all of his might to break free. Explosions broke out all over Revenantia's body, and the portal started to flicker and shrink.

"Foo…" Revenantia called weakly.

"Damnation! Revenantia, _you_ are the master of his power! Crush what's left of his soul if you have to!" Vandread shouted. Revenantia tried to suppress it, and Ikaru felt like he was being crushed in a vice, but something happened then that turned the entire tide.

The portal flickered, then to everyone's astonishment, something came through just before it exploded into nothingness. A glowing red figure in the shape of a dragon. And two words could be heard coming from it, **"HELLSCAR…AWAKEN!"** Instants later the dragon-shape faded, but a real dragon came and scooped up the red-clad figure it left behind. Hellscar swooped through the air and tackled Revenantia before nosing up and climbing into the sky.

"Nanda?? Is that really…?"

"Fireguard! YAHOO!!!"

"YATTA! He's back safe and sound!"

"Arigato, Kami-sama…"

"Ten thousand curses on their misbegotten heads!" Vandread raged, "Revenantia, strike him down!"

She tried, but Ikaru could sense her attention was no longer focused on him, and resumed trying to break free. Again explosions wracked her body, and a smoky form escaped from a crack in her midsection. When she got up a second later, the spikes and extra size she had gained from Ikaru's power were gone.

Vandread cast a spell and faded away; he could tell he was beaten for the time being. Perhaps Revenantia could take care of the Rangers, but that was up to her.

_Guys! Let's do it!_ Fireguard sent into their bond, and the others responded at once.

**"GUARD BEASTS…AWAKEN!"** Tidalstorm erupted from the depths of the ocean. Terraclaw thundered forth from her cave. With all assembled, the call went out, **"IMMORTAL FUSION!" **Once more, the Guard Beasts responded. Hellscar raced skyward, a column of rainbow-hued light igniting around him. The great dragon's limbs folded upward and in, fire dancing along his armored body. Treebasher followed suit, glowing silver and emerald metal shifting and forming the legs. Tidalstorm and Terraclaw, blazing bright blue and yellow respectively connected as the arms; Windshear, wrapped in a corona of white light took up position at the back, forming the secondary wingspan. Hellscar's head lowered into his chest area revealing the great mecha's head and helmet. Finally, the black dome materialized over Hellscar's head on the chest, the triangular Guardranger symbol appearing in the each of the five sections the dome was segmented into. The elemental energies embraced each other and the gestalt spoke: **"WE ARE THE UNITY. WE ARE... DAICHIJIN!"**

"Good to see you in one piece again, dude!" Waterguard whooped.

"It's good to _be_ back in one piece, man. Now how's about we show Ghost Girl here the door?"

Revenantia stood up to face Daichijin, cracked and scorched in numerous places. But she still looked prepared to put up a fight. Before they could even call for an attack, her arms whipped up and grabbed Daichijin by the shoulders. Then they started to lose cohesion, and melted like wax around the elemental titan's torso. Daichijin's arms stuck to his sides, and his legs were engulfed even as the Rangers tried to aim a kick. Revenantia's hands reformed and she smacked Daichijin to the ground with a satisfied, "Foo!"

"Tochiro, try to shake us loose with that attack of yours!"

"I can't! Daichijin can't even move, let alone work up enough leeway for the Congo Dynamic!"

"Jase, what about your power? Can you bust us loose?"

"On it now, dude! **TIDAL IMMERSER!**" Daichijin's power gathered in his left arm, a torrential blast of watery power waiting to be unleashed accumulating within it. But as it surged out, the ectoplasm encasing Daichijin stopped it cold. "Aw, crap…nothin', boss man! This gunk must be too thick!"

An instant later Revenantia loomed over them, and again her hands began to melt and change shape. One into a massive hammerhead, the other into the blade of a giant knife. The came down onto Daichijin's chest, and the other onto his shoulder, striking sparks and nearly cutting off the arm entirely.

"Ooohh…I think we'll be minus one mecha if she does that again!" Airguard said frantically. Fireguard had to agree; the lights in the cockpits were dimming and the life forces of the Guard Beasts were waning from that attack. But as Revenantia's blade fell again, there seemed to be nothing they could do but wait for the end…

But a tiny shape suddenly appeared before Revenantia's face. She regarded it with a questioning, "Foo?" But the Guardrangers knew at once what it was. It was Ikaru. An evil red light reflected onto her mask-like face, freezing the giant monster in mid-swing.

"Hurry up, you guys! I can't stop something this powerful for long!" he shouted.

Fireguard was about to open his mouth to protest, to tell their unlikely savior that Daichijin was trapped, but like his teammates in their previous battles, desperation unlocked something and put words into his mind. With instinctive flair he shouted out, **"SHAKUNETSU HADO!"** Daichijin's eyes flared crimson in response as super-heated energy began gathering in the dome on his chest, then fired a colossal beam of burning power from it. The ectoplasm covering Daichijin slagged from the force of the heat then cracked and weakened all over his body before finally exploding into a shower of shattered pieces. Daichijin was free!

The giant mecha was on his feet just as Ikaru's strength faded, and he fell from the sky. Again, Fireguard cried out, **"SHAKUNETSU HADO!"** With nothing blocking the blast this time, even more force was unleashed. As the hell-ray screamed from Daichijin's chest again, a snarling dragon's head appeared at its tip, and tore a gaping hole clean through Revenantia's body. The inhuman specter gave a high-pitched shriek of outrage in response.

"All right, guys, let's wrap this up! **GAIATIC CUTTER!"** At once Daichijin's towering silver sword appeared in his hand.

**"EARTH RAGE!" **all the Rangers shouted together. Once more elemental power flooded the Gaiatic Cutter, and once more Daichijin brought the fearsome blade down and through his adversary. Then again, and again in a rapid fire succession of blinding slashes . Finally Revenantia fell, a weak "Foo…" escaping her lips as her ectoplasmic remains were blown blocks away by the terrific explosion marking her passing.

A minute later the weary Guardrangers debarked from Daichijin to see what had happened to Ikaru. He lay by the titan's foot, his father and sister nearby, weeping.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Waterguard asked.

"I think so," Ikaru replied, the devilish red light in his eyes gone for the first time, "But I don't think I'll be around here for much longer."

Sona choked, "Nani yo, ni-san?"

"I can feel something calling me away, Sona. I think it was because I was letting my hate control me that kept me here. But now that I've let it go…"

"Sounds a lot like the lesson I learned today, man."

Ikaru looked up at Fireguard, "Nanda?"

"Today I learned that if you let your mind become imprisoned by negative emotions, your entire life becomes a prisoner of them. You have to be able to act on what's really important if you want to free yourself."

"I guess I learned it a little too late," Ikaru replied and suddenly began to drift off the ground, "Arigato, Guardrangers, for reuniting me with my family. And Dad, Sona…I love you. Both of you."

"Arigato, Ikaru-san," Airguard replied for her whole group.

"Ikaru, are you really leaving us again?" Mr. Gokuya asked. Sona started to weep.

"I have to, Dad. This world is for the living, there's another one for people like me. And now I can finally go there…" The sun was just starting to rise, and as its golden rays began to touch the buildings of Tokyo, Ikaru began to rise as well. Within seconds his ghostly form was lost among the rays of the sun.

Sona cried, and her father moved to comfort her. It was understandable, was it not, if one were to find and lose again a loved one so quickly.

"Come on, guys, nothing more we can do here," Fireguard said solemnly and walked off. The other Rangers joined him, and behind them Daichijin automatically split apart and the Guard Beasts flew off to their resting places.

"Man, am I glad you're back, bro." Waterguard dropped an arm around his best friend. "So…what was it like in Hell?"

"A lot like you'd probably imagined it, bud," Fireguard replied, draping his own arm around Waterguard. "I just hope you never have to see it for yourself."

"I don't think any of us have to worry about that," Earthguard chimed in.

"No, but it's where I feel like sending Garganstah for enslaving Ikaru's ghost." The Guardrangers reverted and joined the first rush of people in the streets. Ryuji went to unlock the restaurant for the morning, then to get some well-deserved rest. The others went to deliver some interesting excuses as to why they hadn't gotten a wink of sleep and were missing work for the day.

As Jason turned to say his goodbyes in front of the Golden Bushel, Ryuji took him aside for a moment. "Hey, Jase…I got that message you left me and I was wondering if, well…"

"You wanna take a rain check, right? Hey, no problem, man…" Jason looked seriously disappointed. "It's cool. Guess I'll see ya later or something…" He turned to go, but Ryuji's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Actually," Ryuji smiled, "I was gonna ask you if the invitation was still open. Because if it is, I could really use some quality time with my best friend."

Hell, YEAH, it's still open!" Jason gushed. "So, this weekend then?"

"You're on," Ryuji confirmed, giving Jason a companionable hi-five.

.

Later that evening, as Ryuji opened up his apartment and pulled the futon of his closet, he could only think about the Baron he had fought, and what kind of evil soul he must have had to have been willing to dupe a poor, deluded being like Ikaru had become.

"From now on, no more fears or insecurities…" he said to himself as he shut his eyes, "From now on, I fight to protect everyone people like that Baron would take advantage of…" And for the first time in what seemed like weeks, Sakamoto Ryuji drifted off into peaceful slumber.


	13. Episode 13: Crash! Boom! Bang!

****

Eternal Sentai

Guardranger

****

Episode 13:

Crash! Boom! Bang!

__

To Tiffany

The moon hung high in the sky as Naoko locked the doors to the Terralogical Institute. She was the last one to head home, as usual. Bleary-eyed, she walked to her jeep and started it up for the short drive back to town. Just a couple more late nights, she told herself, and the missed work from fighting Garganstah would be caught up.

Glancing at her watch, she almost considered spending the night at the institute. Dr. Amasada was the kind of boss who would probably understand, but Naoko felt weird enough having to duck out of work constantly for reasons she could explain to no one.

The motor growled to life, shattering the quiet tranquility of the institute's surroundings. The headlights began to glow like the eyes of some unearthly beast. And Naoko pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road leading back to Tokyo. As she drove along, she thought she heard someone say to her, "Why do you push yourself so hard?" Naoko looked around the space of her jeep defensively, expecting to see that some Garganstah monster had appeared beside her, but she was alone.

"Really, a pretty young thing like you shouldn't be wasting herself in that dreary office," she thought she head the voice say again, and again Naoko looked around. But again she was alone. I really need to get some sleep, she thought as the road slithered past beneath her wheels.

Naoko's friends might have said she was pushing herself too hard. If she had ever let on that she was pushing herself so much, that is. Rest had not been her companion for almost a week, the last time she and the others had battled Garganstah. And she knew enough to know that world-saving was not a job to be done on three hours of sleep a night. Why then, had she been getting to bed so late and rising so early?

"You really need more sleep. Those bags under your eyes are going to ruin your pretty face," the critical voice said as Naoko dragged herself through the doors of her mansion and hit the button to call the elevator. She had stopped worrying that she was being stalked when she managed to focus enough to remember what was going on. All the nagging her father had given her through the years was coming back.

Naoko didn't care anymore. She had carved her own niche and she was staying in it, no matter what others thought. And if it meant only getting three hours of sleep so she could live up to all the responsibilities her chosen lifestyle had dropped upon her shoulders, so be it.

"You're never going to find a husband if you keep working these long nights."

"Kami help me…I've got phantoms nagging at me everywhere I turn," Naoko said. She unlocked her door and flopped right into bed. She could see her answering machine blinking its red light, but she was too tired to see who had called. As she drifted off to sleep hoping that Garganstah would lay low for a while, Naoko thought she could hear her father wondering why she always ignored his advice.

But as Naoko departed the waking world, another entered it. Terraclaw stirred in her cave, sensing a faint disruption in the fabric of her element. Somewhere, there was some malign force that was toying with the stone and soil that was hers and her companion's source of strength.

Normally, when her mind became unmerged from Earthguard's, Terraclaw, like the other Guardbeasts, lost the majority of their sense of right and wrong. But something was different this time. Though her partner slept, she concentrated and waited. Soon she sensed the disruption again, and could detect its source a little more closely. Again it occurred, and Terraclaw pinpointed it.

Directly beneath Tokyo…

**_People…disruption…danger! _**The enormous bear roused herself completely. **_Tokyo…Naoko--Earthguard…where! Warn!_**

At once Terraclaw thundered out of her cavernous resting place, across the wilderness of Japan, toward its capital city. The enormous bear slowed as she entered the streets of Tokyo, but she was unmindful of the panics he instantly caused as she thundered through the streets, searching for Earthguard's vital essence. A honking car smacked sideways into her foot, but Terraclaw just stepped over the terrified driver and continued her search.

Suddenly the ground shook slightly, and not from the Guard Beast's enormous feet. Only Terraclaw seemed to notice, however; perhaps the people were too panic-stricken at her presence, or because he was the only being around tied to the earth and stone.

**_Find Naoko--Earthguard…she will know! _**She thought, and picked up the pace of her search. Naoko was roused from her sleep as the tremors from her companion's footfalls drew closer, and stopped outside of her apartment building.

"Kami-sama…what in the world is all that racket???" she wondered aloud as she rolled out of bed as quickly as she could and pulled open the curtains.

"Nanda--?!" She almost fell over in surprise as she saw Terraclaw looking back at her, with what almost looked like an expression of relief on her face.

_Bes, _she cast into the group bond, _my Guard Beast is right outside my window, and I have the distinct impression she wants something…_

And deep beneath the city, a dark being was at work at what was causing Terraclaw's alarm. His fists thundered rhythmically against the rock walls around him, and stony shrapnel flew in all directions, but that which even made it past his protective barrier merely bounced off his thick armor. His excavation took him closer to the heart of the city above every second.

But he kept himself from unleashing his full potential; he didn't dare risk detection so soon, and such a display of power would surely bring the city's protectors down on his head. He tunneled further and carefully avoided a water main he sensed in his path. He paused in his digging as he realized the pipe's position seemed familiar. Recognizing it, he climbed over it and continued to dig through the strata, until the wall collapsed and revealed another tunnel. His work had been done for the night.

The intruder shimmered and vanished into thin air, to rematerialize moments later aboard the Death Gar. Scant feet away from where his mistress, Gammaraude, was sitting as she reviewed the results of a metallurgy experiment she'd been working on.

"Jishinder! I trust everything went according to plan?" she said as she noticed his entrance.

"Tunnels and 1 and 3 connected this evening, as per schedule," Jishinder replied in a mechanical voice. He was a terror to behold, a menacing mechanoid nearly ten feet tall and with a pneumatic jackhammer where each arm should've been. Spikes bristled up and down them and across his shoulders, and his malicious red eyes looked like they could tear a hole in a wall all by themselves.

"Excellent," Gammaraude said to her creation, "but we'll have to move up the schedule. One of the Guardrangers' beasts was walking the streets not long ago, and I think it was because of you."

"I was not disturbed during the excavation."

"Which makes no difference. We're running an awful risk as it is, and if they do find out what we're up to it'll be the end of you for sure," Gammaraude replied, "I hate admitting it, but they are indeed everything the Emperor said. We must undermine them before we attack them directly, if indeed that becomes necessary at all."

"As you command, Baroness."

"Be ready to mobilize and commence the next phase at first light. We'll show those mortals what it means to trifle with Garganstah," Gammaraude said, a touch of anger in her soft voice. Failure was not a sweet taste.

"They'll have no idea what's happening before it's too late," Jishinder said confidently, just as she'd designed him.

Gammaraude nodded, then laughed. "Soon enough we'll put an end to them with the very forces that give them strength. Now go, Jishinder, rest and prepare yourself for the next time." Jishinder nodded and sauntered off to another part of the lab to shut himself down until needed again. Gammaraude, meanwhile, continued on with the results of her experiment.

Late nights had become commonplace for the Baroness of Science, ever since she'd hit upon an idea for countering the Guardrangers' beastly compatriots. She'd spent a week and a half developing new mechanisms and weapons, and was just finishing the alloy she'd thought of to armor her creation.

In fact, the armor was the last thing it needed before she could at last activate it. Gammaraude grinned as she imagined the looks on the Guardrangers' faces when they showed up to fight and she brought out her new secret weapon. Orders were quickly sent to mass-produce the alloy and then apply it to her secret project.

"Ah, success never smelled so sweet…"

"Perhaps you'd be better served in waiting until you've actually achieved it," a voice advised from the lab's doorway. Gammaraude turned to see Sharaki standing there.

"Well…to what do I owe the honor, Sharaki?" she asked coolly.

"I just wanted to see if you knew anything about that monstrosity that's being built in the bottom level. I suppose it was foolish to even wonder."

"You really do know nothing, Sharaki. I'm building that 'monstrosity' because I'm able to see how much our enemies rely on those beasts of theirs. You don't know anything about adapting to new kinds of opposition."

"I doubt any mechanical monstrosity of yours will stand up to the Guardrangers' creatures, but by all means, Gammaraude. I'll be awaiting your victory with bated breath." With that he turned and excused himself from the lab. Gammaraude fumed. She'd show him, the arrogant lout. She'd show everyone, the Baroness of Science was the greatest asset Garganstah possessed.

Naoko sipped a hastily-brewed cup of coffee as she rode Terraclaw through Tokyo. She was still trying to pull herself together enough to feel like transforming and linking minds to see what was upsetting her so much to run roughshod across the streets of Tokyo trying to find her, but hopefully Bes would be able to provide some answers once Terraclaw had calmed down.

And it seemed as if the only way to do that was to be by her side--or on her back--as she raced toward where whatever was troubling her was located. Naoko just hoped that she was making enough of a commotion that nobody would be able to get a good look at her until she felt up to donning her uniform.

_I should've seen this coming, _she thought, _just as I was almost caught up at work, something comes up to throw it all out of whack…_

**_Naoko--Earthguard…we…close! _**she could feel Terraclaw say, or was it think? She'd only heard words from her once before when she had first been re-awakened to fight Armag, never while in mortal form. But in the next instant, Terraclaw stopped her wild charge as they reached the middle of a city park. Naoko couldn't see anything out of the ordinary besides all the people panicking in the streets, however.

"Terraclaw, I don't understand this. What exactly is wrong here?" Naoko said before swallowing another slug of coffee.

**_Earth…wrong…here, _**was the reply.

"Earth wrong here?" Naoko asked, "Nani yo?"

**_Other…near!_**

"Other?" Naoko inquired just as a crimson-clad figure alit beside her on the metallic bear's head. Fireguard.

"Someone want to tell me what the three of us are doing out here in the middle of the night? Bes said there was trouble."

"I have no idea," Naoko replied, "But I suppose this is as good a time as any. **EARTH…FOCUS!**" At once power flooded her being, and began to weave a yellow uniform and helmet around her body. Naoko Hirano was gone and Earthguard stood in her place.

"So what's going on?"

"I'm in the dark as much as you are, Ryuji. Terraclaw here just turned up outside my window of all of a sudden and wanted me to see something. She says the Earth's wrong here, whatever that means."

"Wait a minute, she _said_ that?"

"Hai. It sounded like she was talking. Like a child for some reason, but she was talking."

**_Earth wrong here!_** Terraclaw said urgently, and this time both Guardrangers could hear him.

" Terraclaw, I'm not following this--_what's_ wrong about it?"

**_Someone…distorted it…here!_**

Earthguard closed her eyes and concentrated, her mind connecting with the GuardBeast and clearing some of the chaos from it. But even with that accomplished, the Soldier of Stone learned little. Terraclaw had detected something wrong with the ground in this area, but nothing more specific. And though she scanned the area with her own awareness of the element, she could detect nothing wrong herself.

"There's nothing wrong here," Earthguard said to her two companions.

**_"There is something unnatural here, Naoko! I can sense it!" _**Terraclaw insisted.

"Well, she's talking clearer now, at least. Think something's wrong with her?"

"You're asking a lot of questions, you know.."

"Hey, I'm the leader. That's why I got the red outfit, remember? It's my job to be informed. "

"Well, I'm at a complete loss here. I don't feel anything amiss here and Terraclaw's never appeared outside my bedroom window in the middle of the night."

"I think we better see what Bes thinks."

Earthguard sighed, "Hai, but we'd better get out of here before the whole city starts panicking because of us. Terraclaw, take us to Tokyo Tower. Do you know where that is?"

Indeed she did, from the image of the tower and its place in the city she received from her mind. Terraclaw rumbled along the streets, waking many families and scaring the people on the street during the wee hours of the morning, but soon arrived at the base of Tokyo Tower. The two Rangers leaped from her back to approach the tower.

_Bes, let us in,_ Fireguard signaled to their aide.

At once the gaping rent in space that was the doorway to the Earth Sanctum appeared before them, and Fireguard began to step through without hesitation. Earthguard was about to join him when Terraclaw addressed her one last time.

**__**

"I am not imaging this, Naoko, There is a terrible wrongness at work here."

"If there is something wrong Terraclaw, maybe we'll get an answer from Beservor. In the meantime, go back home and rest. I'm certain you must need some after all the trouble you went through to find me."

Terraclaw seemed to nod at the suggestion, and then walked off back to where she made her home before Earthguard entered the Earth Sanctum.

She willed her power to fade and her uniform vanished. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw that Fireguard had done the same, for Ryuji was leaning against the wall next to Beservor's crystal ball.

"Well, this is turning out to be a strange evening, to say the least…Bes, do you have any clue what might be wrong with Terraclaw?" she asked, settling into a chair.

_"I am not convinced there is anything wrong with her at all, Earthguard,"_ replied the wizard, _"Remember, her connection to the earth is greater even than yours, so if either of you were to sense some kind of disturbance with it, chances are it would be Terraclaw."_

"Yeah, but there was nothing there," Ryuji reminded Beservor.

_"Which raises more than a few questions, does it not?" _he said in a tired voice. Naoko new exactly how he felt.

"That's not what I mean," Naoko interrupted, "Why is she suddenly talking out loud? Before they were just like any other primitive animal unless we joined minds with them."

"Hey!" Ryuji said, taking offense to the comment. "C'mon, Naoko…Hellscar talks to me all the time."

_"There are aspects to the Guard Beasts that you none of us remember any longer, Earthguard," _Beservor replied, _"but if I may, your capabilities have begun to evolve beyond what I believed your limits were. I see no reason to believe the Guard Beasts could not do likewise."_

"Yeah, and that's a good thing. Putting Terraclaw's little stroll through the city tonight aside," Ryuji said.

_"I suggest we be very observant of our companions for the time being," _Beservor suggested, _"I am afraid we've only seen the first stage of Garganstah's power, and all of us will need to continue to grow to withstand it."_

"Hai, of course…first thing in the morning," Naoko said through a yawn. She began to lurch up the stairs.

"Yeah, we're not much good if we end up falling asleep on the job," and with that Ryuji began to climb the stairs behind her, "Night, Bes. Let us know if anything else happens with the GuardBeasts, huh?"

_"If the last time was any indication, you will not need me to, Fireguard." _A moment later the lights in the Earth Sanctum shut themselves off. The Rangers were gone.

No one noticed the two people who appeared from thin air and walked away from the tower. Naoko idly wondered how she was going to get home at such an hour, but Ryuji interrupted her thoughts.

"Pretty strange…Terraclaw just up and talking, huh?"

"Indeed. I certainly didn't expect it. Why didn't Bes call everyone else?"

"I guess he'll tell them once they're up. We're the only ones who really had to be around for this," Ryuji replied. That made sense to her tired mind; it was her Beast, and Ryuji was in charge. That led her to thinking once again how much he'd grown during their time as Guardrangers.

"I'll walk you home, if you want," he offered.

"Shouldn't you be doing likewise?"

"Yeah, but you look like hell. You don't look like you should be going anywhere by yourself this late at night."

"I'm not a child, Ryuji. Why are you so concerned?"

"Hey, dude in the red suit, remember?" Ryuji replied evenly.

Naoko sighed. "Ryuji…"

"C'mon…at least let me get you a taxi."

"All right…," replied Naoko, who was much too tired to continue arguing, and didn't feel like riding a wind tunnel home. Ryuji stepped to the curb and flagged down a cab. Naoko slid inside and told the driver her address. She'd just realized she hadn't brought her wallet when she'd gone to see what Terraclaw wanted when Ryuji pressed a bill into her hand.

"Relax, the Bushel's had a good month," Ryuji said to stifle any protestations before he stepped away from the cab, "Don't push yourself so hard," she thought she heard him say as the taxi pulled into the street.

Naoko sat back, bewildered at everything that had happened since she'd woken up. As the cab sped into the heart of the city, all she thought was, I knew something like this would happen, just as I was finally catching up…

Again she lurched upstairs and hurled herself onto her bed. As she drifted off, Naoko thought she heard her father reproaching her for not appreciating her friends more.

Naoko's sleep was a restless one that night, as a terrible dream occupied her slumbering mind.

She suddenly found herself in the center of a city street, cars whizzing past on either side. No one seemed to notice she was standing right in the middle of traffic as a taxi whizzed by her on either. She caught a glimpse of the driver of one of them, and saw the face of the man who had driven her home during the wee hours of the morning.

The ground trembled, and everyone began to look around nervously, especially Naoko. Again it shook, and the cause came into view. Terraclaw rounded a building, a look of anxiety on her giant ursine face. He roared pitifully and looked left, then right, then kept loping down the street.

"Nanda--?" Naoko sputtered, astounded that Terraclaw had gone right by her, when she'd searched the entire city for her scarcely an hour before. What was wrong with her now?

Or…was something wrong with her?

She tried to reach out to the other Rangers, to Bes, to anyone who could hear her through their bond, but felt no one responding to her telepathic calls. Instead, she felt…disconnected. Alone. Like the mere mortal she'd been before becoming a Soldier of the Earth. Naoko raised her bracelet to call upon her power, but froze as she saw that it was gone.

She heard Terraclaw's pitiful howls fading into the distance as well as the sounds of panic one had to expect when a forty-foot bear took a walk through a major metropolitan area. Naoko tried to run after her and get Terraclaw to notice her to see if she could get to the bottom of what was happening, but found she couldn't move even as a panicked mob washed toward her like a screaming, tearing tidal wave.

"Nani yo suru?!" Naoko shouted, and as if in answer, the ground shook. But this time it wasn't because of Terraclaw's feet. It kept shaking, and debris began to fall from the skyscrapers around her. Naoko braced herself as the people charging toward her neared, but they kept going as if she were a ghost. Those that weren't thrown to the ground and against cars and other objects by the tremor, however.

A building began to topple over, and the screaming became more pronounced from those right underneath it, unable to flee with the crush of other fear-dominated civilians blocking them from all sides. Naoko shut her eyes, there was an unholy squelching noise as the building made landfall, and then suddenly silence.

Naoko opened her eyes again to see a devastated city, shattered buildings leaning drunkenly into one another, while the rest had been razed to the ground and huge cracks scarred the streets. The sky was blood red, and below it crows pecked at the decaying corpses of those who hadn't managed to escape the destruction of the metropolis.

"Kami-sama…" Naoko breathed, desperately hoping someone was still alive to hear her. But there was no one.

It was uneasily that Naoko rose and went off to work the next morning. Normally the memories of dreams were not long-lived, but what she had seen in her sleep played over and over in her mind as she drove out of the city and down the nearly empty road that took her to the Terralogical Institute.

Terraclaw looked for her in vain, to warn her of a crisis only she had sensed. When Naoko tried to alert her and the others to her presence, she found herself powerless. Then the city crumbled, and she was left alone.

Naoko vaguely realized she was outside the Institute's parking lot and pulled in, her hands trembling. She concentrated and they stopped shaking, much to her relief. Being a Guardranger and in touch with the kinds of primordial forces they were seemed to be getting more taxing on her all the time.

She pushed open the doors and went straight to her desk, not letting slip the slightest hint of anything being wrong. The "in" box on her desk was refreshingly empty, and the few papers resting inside it gave her a feeling of accomplishment. Her desk had been buried before her week-long string of all-nighters.

"You're in awfully early for the time you left last night," said a kindly voice behind her. It was Dr. Amasada.

"I have a job to do, Doctor."

"Of course, Naoko-san, we all do. But what's the point if we aren't rested enough to do it?"

"I'm fine, Doctor. Or at least I will be once I clean out that box," Naoko replied.

"I can give those to someone else, it's not as if you're the only one who's been investigating the islands' fault lines."

Naoko squirmed in a slightly annoyed fashion, "_Arigato gozaimasu_, but I'm not paid to rest. This is my job. I don't see any reason to pass it on to someone else."  
"If that's what you want," Dr. Amasada said sincerely, then left with a slight bow. Naoko turned back to her desk and looked through the reports in her box.

If Naoko had known more about the experiences of her sentai brethren, she probably wouldn't have been surprised by the kinds of people that were a part of her day to day routine. But as she sorted through the papers she couldn't help but wonder about the kind-hearted old man who was her boss and how in the heck he had ended up in charge of a vital fixture like the Terralogical Institute.

The Institute and its team had been assembled chiefly to try to find a way to stop another Great Tokyo Earthquake, and the papers from the in box were beginnings for hypothetical plans to prevent just that. She thought about getting up to show them to Dr. Amasada, even if he was likely to try to talk her into taking the day off. He had to be the only boss in the world like that. But as Naoko thought about that, unwelcome words rang in her ears.

"Naoko, you have to stop thinking that you're so special. For all you know, every other boss in the world is just as nice and accommodating as yours."  
"I don't think I'm special, Otou-san, I'm appreciating the kindness of my boss. Why is this even an issue for you?" Naoko shot back mentally.

"Naoko, why didn't you ever listen to me and your mother? You were never meant for this stuffy office environment, and especially not to be studying earthquakes."

"Seismology. Kami-sama, would it kill you to call it what it is--" But Naoko stopped herself in mid-thought, concentrated and her father's nagging voice faded away once again. It was replaced by the visions from her dream. She had a terrible feeling all of a sudden. Some great disaster was surely coming, and it effected her the most of the world's protectors.

Back inside of Tokyo, life was beginning anew for the day. People did their usual business of heading to school or work or whatever it was that occupied the bulk of their waking period. Nothing at all unusual. Of course, that couldn't last.

Not that disaster always came suddenly. Some people probably noticed it, a faint quaking beneath their feet one instant, but gone the next. Any who did paid it no more mind than their kind often did. That was exactly what the cause of the faint tremor wanted.

Jishinder rumbled his way easily through rock and soil, excavating another tunnel beneath the Tokyo streets. Sparks flew from the hammers protruding from his shoulders as he continued about his nefarious work until the wall broke down and he came upon a tunnel he'd already completed.

The evil mechanoid paused, locating his position within the network of completed tunnels with the overlaying the blueprint he'd been given. He noticed there was very little digging left to do before the preparation stage of the Baroness' plan would be completed. With amazing speed for a ten-foot metal monstrosity, Jishinder turned and stomped away in the direction of the very center of the web of tunnels he had created.

Jishinder became a silver blur, blazing through the tunnels at even greater speeds than he had dug them. Those alone would have boggled the minds of many human beings. Mere moments later, Jishinder stood in an area surrounded by four tunnel openings, and opened communications with his mistress.

"Baroness, I would report," the Animated Warrior called out through space, up to Gammaraude's laboratory in the Death Gar.

"Status, Jishinder?" Gammaraude's voice came back to him.

"The network is complete. I have only to plant the explosives in the lower level, then we will be able to proceed with your plan to collapse the foundations of this city."

"Excellent. Then proceed, and alert me once you've completed the plan. We'll level this eyesore of a city and crush the Guardrangers in one swift stroke," Gammaraude chortled.

"With great dispatch, Lady Gammaraude," Jishinder replied, then closed the link. He sank to his knees and at once the jackhammers on his arms began to whir to life. Then they smashed repeatedly against the floor of the tunnel, carving a new one beneath Jishinder's feet. They made the noise of a hundred explosions, but no one but Jishinder could hear them despite his tunnels being scant feet below the ground. And why not? His systems kept the Guardrangers from noticing him; normal humans were no trouble at all to fool.

Further plunged Jishinder into the bedrock, and somehow the darkness around him seemed to get even darker as he pounded mercilessly at the rock. But darkness was no more of an obstacle to Jishinder than the stone that fell away beneath him with every instant.

Deeper and deeper he went, completely undetected by the teeming masses in the city far above him.

Or so he thought.

It wasn't in Tokyo, specifically, where someone detected something amiss. But just as she was about to put the plans she'd been going over away for further inspection elsewhere in the Institute, Naoko could feel a nagging suspicion in the back of her mind that something was wrong all of a sudden.

But the nature of that wrong would quickly become unclear.

"Hirano-san, someone to see you at the front door," someone said over the PA. Naoko cringed, feeling sure that Takeo had come to pay her another visit, but had somehow been caught by the doorman that time. Her suspicions proved to be all too right.

"Hey, gorgeous. Got the time?" the lanky young man by the front door said as she came up.

"Can't you just call, like a normal person?"

"I try, but you always leave your phone off when you're at work, and when you get home these days, all the normal people drifted off to sleep already."

She scowled, "Your charm's overwhelming, Takeo. I don't know how I've lasted so long without it."

"Gomen, but let me make it up to you. You're about to leave for the day anyway."

Naoko was startled. "And you know this, how?"

"That little old man who just came by here. He said he was in charge."

Naoko realized where this was probably going. "Nanda? What little old man?"

"Ah, Naoko, I was looking for you," Dr. Amasada said, every word out of his mouth as genial as every other Naoko had ever heard him speak, "I noticed you were done with those plans so I passed them along to the implementers. Please take the day off with my compliments." Naoko opened her mouth to protest, but maybe she realized how tired she really felt, or maybe it was how he bowed politely and turned to return to his office before she could get the words out that told her the conversation was already closed.

Naoko let out a sigh, but then turned to face Takeo. "Why not? I could use an afternoon off," she admitted, "Just don't get any funny ideas in that head of yours."

"Funny ideas, me?" Takeo pretended to be taken aback, "How could you ever suspect a totally stand-up dude like me of having anything but completely serious thoughts?"

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Naoko remarked dryly as they left the building.

Jishinder halted his descent. He had penetrated about half a mile underground, and the rock surrounding him was thicker and the air hotter than in the tunnels he had carved above. He raised his arms and once again they began to batter through rock, forming the start of another tunnel before him. He let out a mechanized cry of delight, as only doing what they were made to do could bring out of an Animated Warrior.

The ground quaked on the surface once again, even less noticeably than before. Every so often Jishinder would pause to extract a small round device hanging from his waist and affix it to the tunnel wall, like he had done while excavating the passages far above him. So doing he went about his nefarious business undetected, except for one, the single creature whose very life force was tied into the element he was disrupting.

Again a feeling of unease roused Terraclaw from her sleep. Quickly shaking off the pangs of slumber still clouding her mind, the enormous grizzly walked out of her cavern in alarm. She tried to reach out and contact Earthguard, figuring that surely she would be awake to receive her call with the sun high in the sky, but he was in for a very, very unpleasant surprise.

Terraclaw didn't even notice the menacing black shape overhead, until it suddenly swooped from the sky and knocked her right on her back. It circled back and began to dive again, a black half-circle of pure darkness screaming terribly through the air at its earthbound prey. Terraclaw stood up on her back legs, metallic teeth bared, but she didn't expect what came.

A barrage of green rings exploded from the sides of the incoming figure, whatever it was. Terraclaw lunged to evade them, but for all the strength and speed that was hers, she was not the most agile GuardBeast and was caught full-on by the blast. She braced herself for a flood of pain to come washing through her, but yet another surprise came to the enormous creature. A cocoon began to spread over her from where the rings had hit, and her thoughts began to dull. She threw back her head to let out a defiant roar, but nothing came forth. Moments later Terraclaw had lapsed completely into a deep slumber, fearing what might become of Earthguard since she was unable to deliver her warning.

The dark shape that had assailed her landed with barely a sound. Now it wasn't zipping around attacking GuardBeasts, it could be clearly seen to be a mechanical craft, pitch black and with a transparent bubble set in the very center of the flat side. With a hiss the bubble released and slid upward. From the compact but efficient cockpit contained within stepped Gammaraude.

A triumphant smile was on her lips, and why shouldn't there have been? The Guardrangers depended on their companion creatures for so much of their power, and she had found a way to overcome them with sinful ease…

As she watched Terraclaw's eyes drifted shut, and she could see a look of hateful rage in them as they closed. The sight would have troubled others, but Gammaraude thought even less of the Guard Beasts than she did of their masters. And with Terraclaw captured, the only thing that could have warned those masters of the impending danger would no longer present any obstacle to her plan.

The Baroness returned to her aircraft and tapped a green button on the controls. Regally, she said into a microphone, "Deploy the containment team I requested at once. I've captured the beast and we'll need to secure it before it can be taken back to the Death Gar for dissection."

The empty roads Naoko had crossed over on her way to work were still surprisingly light as Takeo drove her jeep back toward the city. Takeo had an uncharacteristically somber look on his face as they zoomed along, although Naoko wasn't paying attention to that. Takeo's continued presence in her life was just another of the little burdens she seemed to be cursed to carry since making up her mind to strike out on her own.

"I don't know why you keep after me the way you do," she said idly, just to do something to break the silence, "I told you it wasn't working out."

"Yeah, too many late nights at the office," he replied just as idly, "That's why, wasn't it? You don't make enough time for yourself."

"Takeo, if this is all you have in mind, please just take me home. If I wanted to be nagged I could call my father."

"Naoko, listen to me. I just don't understand why you did it. I loved you. I still do. We'd been going out for eight months and then you suddenly couldn't seem to find time for the two of us anymore."

Naoko sighed and made no effort to hide it. Didn't she have enough to worry about as it was? Did she really have to deal with an ex-boyfriend who couldn't let go too? It was true they'd been going out for a considerable time, but after a while Takeo's childish attitude just hadn't been interesting her anymore. And Naoko did think her work was important; the main reason why she'd broken it off was to spend more time researching the quakes that turned out to be Armag trying to raise the Death Gar. "Takeo…I just don't think we can be more than friends. It isn't just that I have so much more to do these days, you just aren't serious enough of a man for me."

"Geez, Naoko, you must have a sense of humor somewhere."

"It's that kind of thinking that broke us up before, in case you forgot."

"Look, can we change the subject?" Takeo said as delicately as he could. For obvious reasons he didn't want to make Naoko angry. "You hear about that last fight the Guardrangers had? All the way out at the coast! Wonder what they were doing so far away from Tokyo."

"Fighting another monster would be my diagnosis," Naoko replied. Of course, she had been there, but Takeo couldn't know that.

"Yeah, really," he said with a smile, as if he had just proven that she really did have the capacity for mirth, "It seems like those kinds of guys show up whenever and wherever we need 'em, doesn't it? I wonder how that works."

"Cosmic forces in the universe maintaining the balance or something," Naoko replied.

Takeo turned to her, suddenly alert, "Where'd you hear that?"

Naoko started. Her fatigue must have been even worse than she'd thought, to be tossing around privileged information so carelessly. "Oh, you know," she stammered, "Just a rumor. But it makes as much sense as anything for having them year after year, doesn't it?"

"Yeah I guess so," he replied, but didn't sound convinced.

Then, as things often seemed to just when they were about to relax, something happened. There was a muffled "whump" that shook the jeep, and then a roar came from the heart of Tokyo that was deafening even though they were at least half a mile from the outskirts still. A gigantic fissure opened in the road beside the jeep. The two passenger screamed as the ground shook and tossed the jeep onto its side like a toy, but that was scarcely the beginning of the destructive force about to be unleashed. Through the cracked windshield Naoko could see the fissure extending along the road into the concrete expanses of Tokyo in the distance. Buildings shook and cracked before toppling into piles of powdered wreckage.

But the noise of the tremor doubled and redoubled, and though Naoko could see Takeo yelling something to her, the sound was lost amidst the din as even more buildings, an entire block at once, crumbled in the face of the tectonic assault. Naoko knew that she was probably the only person on the face of the planet who could do something about it, but how could she summon the power she would need with Takeo staring at her in wide-eyed shock?

It was a question she would spend weeks asking herself, for at that moment things somehow managed to get even worse. A crack in the ground appeared at the very edge of the city, combining with the one that had flung the jeep they were in to the ground. In a sight and sound that was a horror to defy description, the cracks surrounding that portion of the city began to grow, and then, _the entire section of Tokyo_ began to sink into the ground! People, cars, buildings. There was a horrendous, unholy crash, and then the disaster finally stopped.

But still it wasn't over. The sky above the city shimmered, and a huge face materialized from it. Naoko recognized it at once. It was Gammaraude.

**"CitizenS of Tokyo!"** she said in a superior voice, **"I am Gammaraude, Baroness and Minister of Technology FOR the Garganstah Empire! The very same nation which your vaunted Guardrangers have been opposing. I have just had a quarter of your city destroyed! And Unless The Guardrangers stand down and the people of this country surrender to Garganstah, know that I will happily do far worse! You have one hour to comply!"** And having delivered her ultimatum, the Baroness' face vanished from the sky.

With an effort the two people managed to pry themselves free of the jeep and stagger away. Takeo began to babble something about calling the authorities, but Naoko's mind was elsewhere. In that supernatural link between the Guardrangers. _Miina, did you just see that?! _At once her horrible urgency traveled through the ether, and five concerned voices replied.

_Earthguard, I sensed something wrong--_,said Bes.

_Naoko, nani yo?! Daijoubu?? _That was Ryuji, a touching alarm in his call.

_Holy crap…who'd you tick off now, Naoko?_ Jason. Still didn't sound like he was taking things seriously.

_I just saw those buildings sink! I'm on my way!_ Miaka, filled with youthful energy and a desire to succeed as always.

_Don't say a thing, I'm on my way,_ was Tochiro's soft-spoken, yet somehow iron-willed response.

_I'm fine,_ Naoko said to the gathered minds of her teammates, _considering who just gave that rather unorthodox announcement, I probably don't have to tell any of you what's wrong._

_Ryuji, what're we doin' here, bro?_ Jason asked. _We gonna meet at the Earth Sanctum to figure out what to do?_

No time for that, man, Ryuji interjected, _Guys, meet at the south edge of Shinjuku._

I'm on my way, Naoko said through a chorus of similar responses, then returned to the mortal world at the speed of thought.

"Takeo, I have to report this. Will you be all right by yourself?"

"Nani? Report this to who?" Takeo asked.

"The Institute!" Naoko said, the words tumbling out as they entered her head, "that attack just came out of nowhere and we need a means of countering or possibly heading it off if it happens a second time! Go to my house and wait for me there!"

"Okay, but…how're you gonna get back there??" Takeo called, casting an eye toward the totaled jeep. Naoko was already hurrying off, however, and made no sign of hearing her. She had, but the answer wasn't one she could give to someone outside of her exclusive club.

Naoko crested a hill and disappeared from Takeo's view behind it. The ground opened up beneath her, and an instant later the breath of the Earth caught her and whisked her away.

The Guardrangers flew along the subterranean network of wind tunnels, each coming closer to the abyss that had not long before been part of the capital of the nation, closer to whatever had caused it. And they planned to be ready for it. Each raised their Guardbrace, and shouted a pair of words, naming the source of their strength and commanding it to fill them with its might. Somehow it carried over the rushing winds, and in a succession of colored bursts of light, the civilians had vanished, and the Eternal Sentai Guardranger had taken their place.

But as Naoko's being began to swell once again with the power of Earth, something else happened. A shock went through her, and distantly she could hear Terraclaw letting out a pained, weakened roar. It was exactly like the feeling she'd had just before the quake hit, but fifty times worse. She gasped in shock, and even though the winds made it nearly impossible to hear anything else, her teammates could somehow tell, and wheeled around to look back at her.

When the wind tunnel disgorged them onto to the lip of the abyss seconds later, they were already dashing toward her to see what was wrong. Fireguard caught her as she toppled to the ground in a daze.

"Naoko, nanda??" Fireguard asked, the runaway anxiety in his question answering why he'd used her real name.

"Terraclaw…something's happened to her…I can feel it," she gasped out, winded by the shock that had assaulted her system.

"Nani? Where is she? Can you tell?"

"I don't know. I tried to connect with her to find out what's wrong, but something's blocking me. I can sense her, but not where she is."

Fireguard didn't need to hear another word. **"HELLSCAR…AWAKEN!"** Within instants the Rangers could see a gigantic creature flapping toward them, a familiar red and gold dragon. Losing no speed, Hellscar zoomed overhead, cast a beam from one of his claws and pulled Fireguard aboard, then veered around and began to fly back the way he'd come with a determined roar escaping his maw.

_Ryu, where you goin', man?! _Waterguard demanded as beast and master quickly started to shrink toward the skyline.

_You guys check out the hole. The two of us are gonna go look for Terraclaw. If she is in trouble, we'll be able to handle it the best._

Ryuji--, Earthguard began to protest.

_Check out the hole. We'll be fine._ And with that Fireguard closed the link.

"Man…wonder why he left in such a hurry," Waterguard mumbled, but didn't let it go any farther than that. Although it still irked from time to time, he'd come to accept that Fireguard was the leader and was acting as he thought best, as a leader should.

"Naoko…can you manage all right?" Forestguard asked as he helped his downed teammate to her feet.

"Hai, I'm feeling fine now. Much better, in fact," Earthguard responded. She stared wonderingly at Hellscar's vanishing shape for a second, then approached the lip of the chasm.

It was just as dark and deep as she remembered, perhaps more so thanks to wearing a tinted visor her second time there. But upon a closer inspection than she was able to manage before, Earthguard spotted an opening in the rock a good ways down.

"Miina, look at that!" In response to her shout three other pairs of eyes strained against the stygian darkness.

"Man, I knew it," Waterguard cracked his knuckles, "Let's get down there and kick some Garg butt."

"I'm all for that."

Forestguard pulled out his Gorilla Vine and tied it around the waists of himself and his teammates before sinking the tip of the cable into the ground, and then the four of them began to descend the steep slope leading to the cave far below. Shortly they reached their destination and entered the forbidding tunnel. But some minutes later a taxi screeched to a halt at the lip of the chasm, and out stepped Takeo.

The cable still anchored to the edge confirmed his suspicions. The Guardrangers were there, somewhere, and by following the thorn-covered cable he could see it leading to a tunnel opening a considerable distance down the steep slope.

But a little climbing didn't scare him. This was the big chance he'd been waiting for. So he checked his flashlight, which had somehow come out of the wreck still in working order, then grabbed onto the cable and began to ease himself down toward the tunnel.

The Guardrangers descended into the blackness, but as they left the entrance to the tunnel behind, fingers of darkness began to envelop them.

"Hey guys, anyone think to bring a flashlight?"

"Just concentrate for a second. You'll be able to see, at least a little," Earthguard replied. And indeed, within a few seconds the Rangers could roughly see the outline of the tunnel walls, a pale green in the dark field of their adjusted vision.

"Sugoi! How did you know about that?"

"I asked Beservor a long time ago about what kind of other powers we had. There isn't much besides this, but at least it's not just a sparkly costume."

"That's our Earthguard," Forestguard chortled under his breath. The four made their way further into the tunnel, alert for the slightest sound or sign of movement. They had no idea they were being watched all the while by inhuman eyes.

Though trying to stay alert and help her comrades look for their enemy, Earthguard found her mind wandering back to why had Fireguard flown off in such haste. And why did that bother her so much? He was the leader, he'd reminded her himself the night before. It was natural for a good leader to be willing to take the point. But then she stopped and thought, was his sudden departure to look for Terraclaw really the reason she was wondering about him?

"There you go again, doubting everyone except yourself. That Ryuji's obviously a good boy with a good head on his shoulders, why do you have to go questioning what he does?"

"Shut up."

"Hey! What was that for???" Waterguard sounded hurt.

"Hmm? Oh…gomen, Jason. I didn't mean you."

Waterguard just shrugged and the two followed their comrades deeper underground. But a second later the Guardrangers froze, hearing the sound of metallic footfalls that they recognized all too well. From ahead, then suddenly from behind as well. No battle cries or shouts of "Surrender, humans!" or any such thing rang out through the rocky halls. And little surprise it was, as the unmistakable shape of Silicon foot soldiers appeared in their altered vision.

"Surrender…yeah, right." Waterguard drawled as he brandished his Eternablade. Leveling spears at the four Rangers, the soulless warriors moved forward to comply with the challenge. Within seconds the sounds of battle were traveling through the earth, and further up the tunnel Takeo wondered what in the world he had gotten himself into.

At the very same instant, Hellscar soared over the wilderness outside of Tokyo, terrifying numerous motorists as the enormous bat-like silhouette passed overhead. Much as neither master or beast wanted to be scaring people out of their wits, they were concerned with graver things.

Fireguard and Hellscar concentrated the full force of their melded minds on picking up the faintest hint of a Guard Beast's abundant life force as they zoomed over the countryside, but were still producing nothing.

Fireguard wondered if perhaps whatever was causing the trouble for her Beast that Earthguard had reacted to was somehow foiling their attempts to detect him, or if indeed there was really anything wrong, and if he should've been back with his teammates.

**_Earthguard spoke true, my friend. Terraclaw is in danger, _**Hellscar proclaimed, hearing the thoughts of Fireguard's doubts.

"So you too, huh, bud?" Fireguard asked with a mild grin beneath his helmet. Absently he pondered what it was that had suddenly sparked the Guard Beasts' minds, whether it had something to do with the union of minds created when they formed Daichijin, or if they were just learning and growing into their roles as were the Rangers.

**_There! Below us! _**Hellscar shouted suddenly, and Fireguard looked out through his companion's eyes to see a bizarre gathering below them. There appeared to be about a hundred people gathered around something big. But as he looked closer, he could make out that they were anything but human. They were the color of dull chrome, and walked with a lifeless gait. They were rigging a large net around the object, and upon closer inspection, he could see the larger object to be Terraclaw! Looking like she'd been knocked unconscious and surrounded by some kind of glowing green field, but Terraclaw nonetheless.

"The Gargs got her…" Fireguard said in disbelief, but quickly collected himself, "Hellscar, dive and blow those tin-heads away!" Hellscar let out an affirmative roar and swooped toward the unsuspecting Silicons. A minute later, as the gigantic rush of air from Hellscar's sudden pass caught up with him, the Silicons were blown around like toys. They never even knew what hit them.

But not all of Terraclaw's captors had been caught unawares. Gammaraude had possessed enough presence of mind to notice the dark shape winging toward her as she oversaw the containment of Terraclaw. She had dashed into her aircraft and taken to the sky seconds before Hellscar sent her henchmen tumbling. The craft was rocked as it barely escaped the effected area, but the Baroness was far from worried. She had been preparing for just such an eventuality.

"My technological wonders daunted you before, Guardranger," she said with a wicked smirk, "but this one should be more than enough to get you out of my hair!" With that she pressed a green button on her controls, and something zoomed down from the clouds. It was a huge, silver box, the size of a city block--at least. Before Fireguard even realized what was happening, Gammaraude's craft clicked into the front of the box, and it began to change.

Four thick legs emerged from its underside, and a pair of metal wings unfolded from the top. A serpentine head molded itself out of the front where Gammaraude had docked with the behemoth taking shape, then extended itself on a long neck. From all over the machine cannons, blasters and ballistas extended into view. Hellscar suddenly found himself face to face with a mechanized dragon, his equal in size and outward ferocity.

"Impressed, hero?" Gammaraude taunted, battle lust beginning to take over the calm and pragmatic Baroness of Technology, "I was hoping you'd be the one I'd get to try this out against. Meet Scurga, the one who'll put an end to you and your obnoxious little pets!"

Fireguard was undaunted as he stared down the machine that looked in every way to be the equal of his own Beast. "That's some clunker you've got, lady. But it takes a lot more than firepower to make us back down! Right, big buddy?"

**_Indeed! Let us show the Baroness and her draconian pretender the error of their ways!_**

Hellscar replied.

"All over it, pal! LET'S GO!" And the two awesome enemies charged.

It was a stark change of pace to be fighting in a cramped tunnel with drastically diminished visibility of their enemies, but the Guardrangers were struggling to make do with what they had. Sparks flew as the archaic weapons of both sides met in mid-air, except when a Silicon spear found its target and floored the unfortunate Ranger.

The mindless fighting machines seemed totally unimpaired by the dark, as more often than not their blows landed and they evaded the Guardrangers' counter-strikes with an ease none would've expected from their bulky frames.

Airguard slashed at an incoming Silicon only for her blow to be parried with the haft of his spear. He gave her no chance to regroup, and expertly swung his spear and sent the young heroine tumbling to the ground. Water and Forestguard dueled with their opponents back to back, but with ease the Silicons knocked their Eternablades from their hands and knocked them both into vicious spins before the two Rangers collapsed in a daze.

Earthguard fought the fiercest of all, and her blade flashed against the darkness as it sliced into the hide of a Silicon's chest and the next instant sliced off one's head. All the exasperation she'd felt over the last couple days from over-working herself, being woken in the middle of the night, and having her father's memory nag at her at every turn erupted in her relentless attacks against the Silicons. But for all the pride her teammates would've felt if they could properly see her in action, she was only one against many, and a ferocious assault only counted for so much against warriors created solely to crush the Empire's enemies in any conditions they faced.

Suddenly two spear points shot out of nowhere, catching the wrist of Earthguard's sword-arm in a scissor-like grip and forcing it to the floor of the tunnel. One of the Silicons kicked her Eternablade away with a clatter.

"Get back or I'll…I'll…!" Earthguard stammered before realizing she was in no mood to come up with a biting insult. "**SEISMIC FORCE!**" Earthguard drove her free hand against the wall of the tunnel, and once again the earth began to tremble from the force of her power over it. The Silicons holding her down and the ones surrounding her teammates were rocked off their feet, but in her keyed-up state Earthguard hadn't totally thought out what might happen using her attack underground.

Chunks of rock began to fall from the ceiling, luckily crushing a couple unfortunate Silicons, but a scream of pain told her that Airguard had been struck as well, then Forestguard, then Waterguard, and then yet another scream from the way they had come.

The power of Seismic Force was short-lived, and already Earthguard could feel its effects ebbing. But what good what that do them if they were crushed beforehand? Earthguard stretched out her arms, touching the sides of the tunnel with the tips of her fingers and concentrated on her power as she never had before. She _willed_ the rocks to stop crumbling, the ground to stop quaking. And slowly, surely, the fall of stones slowed, then ceased, as did the violent trembling of the world around the four of them.

"Miina, daijoubu?" Forestguard, to nobody's surprise, was the one to ask.

"A little bruised, but fine," Airguard replied.

"Same here, dude. Yo, lady…you're supposed to take out the Gargs, not us," Waterguard said bitingly.

"There's just no pleasing some men," Earthguard said sourly, observing the broken bits of the statue-like foot soldiers on the floor. The rest had fled when seen that Earthguard was willing to unleash her full strength even in the cramped confines of the tunnel.

"Not all of them, my dear," said a voice none of them recognized. They whirled in its direction and fell into defensive stances, already expecting what came. It was an Animated Warrior. It had to have been. But none of them could see anything.

"Not that you're surprised, I'm sure," the voice went on, "Silicons are always in the company of someone much more powerful than themselves. You've surely noticed that."

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better you'll be keeping your grunts company real soon, dude!" Waterguard shot back to the darkness.

"What a threat! I'd better give myself up while I still can, shouldn't I?" The Animated Warrior let out a grating laugh. Then suddenly something shot out and knocked Waterguard down. Another attack flew silently out of the shadows, but just before it struck Earthguard could make out something coming and spun out of the way. She spun herself right into a high kick that slammed into what felt like a monster's shoulder. A grunt of pain told her it was probably so.

Jishinder, for that was of course who the attacker was, couldn't believe it for his part. How could she have seen that coming? Moreover, how could she have known where to strike to retaliate? Short was the time he had to think about it, however, as Earthguard swung her fists in the direction she'd struck before. But he leaped back, then hurled himself forward, jack hammer-arms thundering.

For a split-second Earthguard could see the incoming attack, her desperation increasing the strength of her ethereal senses. But it was not enough, and Jishinder vanished from her sight before mowing her down as he flew by.

The other three Guardrangers were up and tried to defend their comrade, but their altered vision picked up nothing, and an unseen opponent ripped through them, lighting up the blackness with showers of sparks.

"Can't fight what you can't see, eh, _heroes_?" Jishinder cackled. But something smashed against the back of his head as the beam of a flashlight rounded a bend in the tunnel.

"I see you just fine. And boy do I wish I couldn't," said a flippant voice.

"Oh **no**…" Earthguard said as she placed the voice.

"Oh no, what?" Waterguard asked before placing the voice himself.

Jishinder growled at the newcomer. But then, to his surprise, Jishinder ignored Takeo completely, and charged toward the Guardrangers while he still had them at his mercy.

**"AURA OAK BUSTER!"** Forestguard shouted with all the strength he could muster, and a emerald surge of glowing leaves flared out of the darkness. The beam tore into Jishinder, igniting wave after wave of sparks, but he continued his charge unaffected.

**"ORCA BRAND!" **Waterguard called, and in a burst of water he couldn't see, his trademark weapon appeared in his hands. He lay rolled onto his side then hefted the weapon with all of his might in what he hoped was the right direction, and with a resounding CLANG it imbedded itself in Jishinder's torso and knocked him back against the side of the tunnel.

By the time he recovered, the Guardrangers were back up. "You've had it, buster! Whatever you are!" Airguard taunted.

But the reply that came was an unnerving chortle. "I don't think so, my dear. But daddy has some important things to do now, so why don't you go play with your new friends?" As he said that, rapid footsteps came down the tunnel. More Silicons, no doubt. Then with a manic cackle, he turned his hammers back on and began to pound away at the floor and sank through it. But they could all see the ground closing up behind him just as quickly as he dug through it.

"Oh no you don't!" Earthguard shouted and dove in after him.

"Hey, wait!" Takeo yelled, and slid into the hole in the ground just as it snapped shut, taking the collar of his jacket with it.

"Oh…great."

"Aw, man…what the heck was Takeo doin' here?"

"I don't know, but we need to go after them! She's probably in trouble!"

"Not to sound selfish, Airguard," Forestguard replied as another wave of Silicons flooded the tunnel, "but so are we."

KA-BOOM!

Scurga's cannons thundered as it and Hellscar weaved through the air, exchanging blasts.

Normally Fireguard would have been directing his companion with his voice, but the arsenal Gammaraude had trained on him made such a thing impossible. Hellscar could have seen into his master's thoughts anyway, but now they were all that he dared let himself rely upon. An explosion clipped the edge of one wing just as Fireguard willed for him to dive under it.

Not that Hellscar was helpless. He performed a sharp bank and let loose with a shockwave of burning red dragon breath that tore into Scurga's side, and a bank of guns exploded terrifically. Gammaraude screamed as the bank of controls for those weapons erupted in sparks, then growled like an animal and glared sharply at the ones responsible.

Hellscar roared in satisfaction, and Fireguard could tell his companion was pleased with himself. But at a thought from Fireguard the dragon's mind returned to the battle, and just in time; Scurga was charging straight at them, guns blazing!

But hero and beast were on the ball. Hellscar beat his massive wings and ascended, smacking Scurga in the head with his tail as he flew by overhead. Gammaraude was tossed around in her cockpit, but that didn't last long. She forced Scurga into a steep dive, then suddenly came back up, firing everything she had on Hellscar. The creature of fire was a veteran flier and was possessed of far more agility than his bulk would suggest. He swooped and weaved through a flurry of explosions. A shell flew in front of him and he dove under its blast. Scurga launched a cloud of harpoons at Hellscar, but he just barrel-rolled lower out of the way. Hellscar let out a roar and casually swatted back a plasma fireball with his tail. It screamed back and smacked into Gammaraude's cockpit, causing a flurry of sparks to erupt from her controls as she screamed in surprise.

**_Ha-HA! No man-made machine could ever match the strength of a TRUE dragon! _**Hellscar thundered confidently.

"Hey, buddy, let's not get too--" Fireguard began to reply. Just then one of Scurga's weapons fired, a tiny, unremarkable cannon just beneath the mechanical dragon's neck. Most would've laughed at it, but that was exactly what Gammaraude had intended. The projectile, no larger than a basketball, whizzed silently toward Hellscar and struck him in the chest.

But then it exploded, and engulfed the mighty dragon in flames.

Hellscar opened his mouth to cry out, but no sound came. His eyes went dark and his gigantic wings ceased to beat. And then Hellscar fell from the sky like a stone.

Much like how Earthguard, her prey and their tagalong were falling, but in their case it was _through_ stone. Jishinder easily drilled through the ground for what felt like miles, and as Earthguard tried to think of how she might stop him, she could feel a dull ache in her mind, and faintly heard Fireguard crying out. But if she was going to help him, first she would have to help herself.

****

"GRIZZLY CLAWS!" Just as Jishinder registered that she had said something, Earthguard's drove her hands into the earth, stone and dirt weaving around them. She smashed her fists together and her signature weapons appeared over her hands in all their lethal splendor. Wasting no more time, she brought her right claw down on Jishinder's head with all her might.

Earthguard's blow had quite an unexpected effect. It knocked Jishinder down. Straight through the ground and into another tunnel beneath them. They fell a good seven feet before hitting the floor, but already Earthguard was on her feet and pressing her attack.

Jishinder parried her double-handed swing with his arm, and sparks flew. Earthguard, however, could see Jishinder in the light of Tokyo's flashlight, and suddenly flipped one hand over and hooked it to the hammer that was the robot's limb, then started to pull with all her strength. With the continued attachment of his arm in mind, Jishinder did something drastic. Suddenly his chest plate swung downwards revealing a wide silver tube. It extended outward from his torso for a few inches, and then fired a silver disc that clamped onto Earthguard's shoulder.

"Nanda…?!" she said in surprise, loosening her grip on Jishinder just a bit.

And in the next instant he was barreling down the tunnel away from her and Takeo.

"Goodbye, Guardranger!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Then the silver disc exploded.

A wicked smile crawled across Gammaraude's lips. She'd done it! She'd proven that the Guardrangers' archaic powers couldn't stand up to the might of her science! Hellscar crashed to the ground, sending enormous clouds of dust and debris into the air, then lay where he was, lifeless.

"I wonder how the Emperor will reward me for this," she mused as she lowered Scurga closer to make sure her foe was indeed no longer among the living, but not close enough that if he were to suddenly rear up and attack she wouldn't have time to react.

However, Gammaraude wasn't underestimating the intelligence of the Eternal Sentai, but their ferocity when provoked. Hellscar did indeed suddenly rear up, having been playing possum. His eyes were burning brighter than before, and unleashed another impulse of crimson fire. But as the blistering hell-ray screamed toward Scurga, Gammaraude merely flicked a switch and a crystal cocoon materialized around her mecha, easily stopping the beam.

"That's pathetic, Guardranger! Is that the best you and your pet can do?!" she cackled.

"Man…you just don't get it, do you?! When we put our souls into something…nothing gets in our way! And that…includes…people…like…**YOU!**" Fireguard exploded. All of a sudden Hellscar's blast expanded to 5 times its previous size, a burning column of energy traveling up it toward Scurga's shield. Gammaraude gasped and pressed buttons to divert power to defenses, and the shield shimmered with the extra energy. But Hellscar's attack was fueled by Fireguard's devotion to helping Earthguard by restoring her companion to her. The shield cracked, then shattered, and the Hellstormer flew onward, punching right through Scurga's underbelly and out the other side.

Alarms flashed from every portion of her console. Gammaraude cursed and then pressed a green button, and her half-circle ship disengaged from Scurga's forehead. "DAMN YOU BOTH!!! You haven't seen the last of me, _hero!_" Gammaraude shrieked as she flew into the heavens, and Scurga's lifeless remains crashed to the ground with a hollow BOOM.

_Can't blame a guy for dreaming, though_, Fireguard thought. But Gammaraude's wrath was something to be dealt with another time. At a thought Hellscar righted himself and then grabbed the still-unconscious and cocooned Terraclaw in his front talons, but at the command to take off, Hellscar hesitated.

"Hey, bud…what's up?"

**_I'm afraid…Gammaraude's creation took a good deal more…out of me…than I realized, my friend… _**Hellscar managed to reply. Hellscar shifted his gaze to his left wing, and Fireguard could see through it that a number of sizeable holes had been punched in it, probably from the blast that had sent them crashing to the earth moments before.

"Oh, _man_…"

In Tokyo, the ground rocked and people cried in terror as they tried to flee, sure that another portion of the fair city was about to sink out of sight. And far below, trapped in a world of agony, was Earthguard.

Her uniform was scorched everywhere one might have looked, and she lay flat on the ground, knocked fifty feet from where she'd been standing by the explosion. But for all that, she was still in one piece. The cave walls shook with the sound of the explosion, but it gradually died away, and things returned to a normal state of panic for the people above.

"Are we dead?" Takeo asked a long moment later.

"I don't think so, but I'm exceptionally grateful for how much punishment these suits can take," Earthguard replied. With an effort she managed to pull herself up, but wondered why she was bothering. She could move, painfully, but she certainly wasn't in any shape to go after the monster and stop whatever he was up to. She tried to open her mind but felt that the others were engaged in battle and didn't dare distract them.

She settled her back against the wall in relief and wondered what Fireguard was doing. Then she wondered why she was wondering what Fireguard was doing. It was, after all, not like her to question her superiors. Not when they seemed as in control of things as Fireguard had of late. But she'd heard him screaming as she chased Jishinder down the shaft; what had _that_ been about? She began to reach out to him, but a stabbing pain in her shoulder put a stop to that.

"Hey, whoa…daijoubu?" Takeo asked from somewhere nearby.

"You can't tell by looking at me?" she asked a bit more sharply than she meant. But then, agonizing pain didn't do much for a person's manners.

"I wouldn't know, my flashlight got busted when I landed on my butt," he replied with a smirking tone. Wasn't that just like him? It seemed like Takeo couldn't take anything seriously, even when they were a mile underground and probably being stalked by a crazed invisible robot. Fireguard would've taken charge and immediately have begun thinking about how to overcome it.

And there she went thinking about Fireguard again. What was with her? She found him much easier to stand after he quit whining and started acting like a leader, that was definite. But as her mind drifted back to Terraclaw's visit to town, him being the only one to come in the middle of the night, to investigate things at her side, and then even making sure she got home safely didn't strike her as merely the actions of a leader…

"You all right?" Takeo asked, a trace of worry from her silence evident.

"Hardly," Earthguard replied, more gently than before, "I got to take a bomb blast at point blank, there's a monster we can't see somewhere around here, and my friends are probably in danger. I'm about as far from 'all right' as humanly possible.."

"Man…you sound so familiar, it's scary."

"Nani?"

"Look, please just hear me out before you say anything. You're not gonna like this, but please just listen to me. Who are you? Behind the helmet. I swear I won't spread it to anyone, but tell me, please."

_Oh, Kami-sama…_Earthguard though, _now he's got suspicion running through his head…. I _**cannot**_ believe the day I'm having…_ She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or terrified as her head cleared enough for her to notice something she hadn't before. A row of circular objects set into the wall at a regular interval, "Kami-sama…! That's how he did it!"

"Nani? How who did what?"

Earthguard didn't answer. She charged to the wall behind her and Takeo and began trying to wrench the discs out of the wall. Who knew how much time she had?

The objects were the same thing that Jishinder had fired onto her arm and then detonated. The entire tunnel was laced with them. If he decided to set them off before she could do something, surely all of Tokyo would be devoured by the earth…

He knew that the Guardranger and the human had survived his attack; he could see what was happening anywhere in the tunnels as easily he could see what was right in front of him. But they wouldn't survive what he had in store for them next. This was moving things a little ahead of schedule, but he was sure the results would be the same with the Guardrangers buried in the wreckage of their beloved city

His functions switched from excavation and battle to demolition. He envisioned the explosives he had planted in the tunnel where Earthguard and Takeo were, and then his mechanical mind sent out a signal. Far in the distance, he could hear something explode. And then he could hear cries of anguish from both levels of the tunnel complex. And then entire remainder of the human city started to sink.

As bits of the ceiling began to fall, it was Earthguard's ultimate nightmare. She'd been trying to do something about the explosives planted along the wall when they'd suddenly started to go off, one after the other like a row of dominoes. And there had been the expected deafening blasts, and the city began to collapse onto them.

Earthguard shut her eyes and tried desperately to ignore her cuts and burns, and tried to visualize the disaster reversing itself and Tokyo returning to its relatively stable self. It was hopeless, and she knew it. Even she didn't have the kind of influence over stone to lift three-quarters of a major city back to where it was supposed to be and hold it there. She felt like she was trying to push a tank out of a ditch, and the strain on her powers to hold it up was so severe even Takeo started to feel it.

"Do it! I know you can do it!" he screamed over the roar of a collapsing city.

And all of a sudden the strain on Earthguard and her struggling powers alleviated a little. The city was still falling, but with Takeo's moral support, things seemed just a little less hopeless.

Jishinder cackled as he tunneled to the surface to observe the fruits of his labor from a safe distance. The city had to have been half-absorbed into the ground by the time he saw daylight. But when he pulled himself onto solid ground and turned to inspect the carnage, he was in for an unpleasant surprise.

The city had barely sunk at all! Something was holding it back!

In what remained of the tunnels above, the other Guardrangers could feel Earthguard's efforts to stall the descent of Tokyo even more acutely than Reiko.

_Guys, what's happening?_

Kami-sama…Earthguard's…trying to stop the place from caving in! Can't you feel it??

Upon closer inspection, Waterguard could. It was as if he the one trying to will the ground beneath the city not to collapse. Even Fireguard, miles away, could feel his teammate's struggle.

"Oh no, the rest of the city's falling in! They'll all be buried alive!"

**_We must go their aid at once! _**Hellscar shouted.

**__**

Yes…we must…hurry…!! another voice exclaimed from below. It was Terraclaw, and as she awoke, the force field around her flickered and vanished. Whether it was because they could feel Earthguard's plight or because the force field had just run out of juice, he didn't know and didn't care. He'd succeeded in his task, and if his companion was up to it, they would all go help their imperiled friend.

"If you think your wing can take it, buddy, let's GO!" Fireguard responded, and with a mighty beat of his wings, Hellscar was off the ground, Terraclaw clutched in his forward talons.

Hellscar rocketed across the landscape, roaring his support to their imperiled comrade. As they sped along, Fireguard noticed a trio of large shapes heading the same way in the distance, one ground-bound, the other two following in the air. He didn't have to guess twice; they were the other Guard Beasts, coming to lend their phenomenal strength.

"Hey! Perfect timing, guys!" Fireguard called out to them. The Guard Beasts replied with echoing cries of affirmation.

Meanwhile, Earthguard could tell strength was about to give out. It was touching that Reiko had, consciously or not, managed to ease her burden slightly, but even she lacked the energy to do what needed to be done. The ceiling began to slide closer.

"C'mon, lady! Don't give up!" Takeo called, and though his voice was lost in the din of the crumbling earth, she could hear it and managed to hold on. Still a crushing doom seemed inevitable, but then something miraculous happened.

Earthguard felt nine other mighty life-forces, four calling support to her in human language, the others imparting their backing through deafening roars. And the loudest roar of all belonged to a huge bear, Terraclaw. Through their spiritual bond their power flooded into Earthguard, and the titanic weight of the city suddenly seemed to diminish to that of a dandelion seed.

"Yes…Yes…YES!!" Earthguard called, as power beyond anything she'd ever experienced was bequeathed to her by her friends and their bestial companions. Every bit of strength that was at the Eternal Sentai's command poured into Earthguard. At the edge of all that strength she could even feel another human's life-essence backing her, but whispering a question, "Are you who I think you are?"

Not there was time to focus on that. Boosted by her comrades' strength, Earthguard's influence keeping Tokyo from collapsing intensified, and the roof rose, then affixed itself where it had been before. Streams of yellow light wove outward from her being into a complex web of power, fortifying the weakened foundations of the city. The roar of tumbling rocks ceased. On the surface, people held their breath, not sure if the danger was really over, but after a few moments, cheers began to go up. It looked as if the city's doom was not in the cards that day after all.

Even greater relief was on the mind of those below, who had averted the crisis. Earthguard wasn't quite about to rest; she could now sense the presence of the one responsible, and he would not get away again.

Jishinder couldn't believe his eyes! All that careful planning, all that preparation, and yet Tokyo stood! He wondered what kind of excuses he could possibly make for his failure, even though he knew Gammaraude, much less Brannoch, would accept none.

"It should have worked! _It should have worked!_ Damn those miserable Guardrangers! _Where could they get that kind of power?!"_

"It's not from a place, you mechanized misery! It's from a bond between the people we hold dear!" a voice replied. Jishinder turned toward it, and there stood Earthguard and a human male, looking worse for wear but ready to take him on.

"Well well, flush with your success, you feel up to the task of battling me alone? At least you won't be around to interfere with us any longer."

"We'll see about that," Takeo taunted, but Jishinder looked right past him. And then Jishinder suddenly disappeared.

"Nani--" Earthguard stuttered before something unseen cut her down. But suddenly everything made sense. He had some kind of power that could shield him from the Guardrangers' senses; Terraclaw's, being stronger, had detected him at work the night before. No wonder she couldn't see him in the tunnel, or now. But that wasn't much comfort as invisible jackhammers rained death onto her prone and battered form.

Takeo, however, could see the frightening robotic monster pounding on Earthguard's helpless form. He charged forward to lend what little help he possibly could, but Jishinder saw him coming and bowled him over with a slight kick. Takeo groaned, but reached into his satchel and pulled out a bottle of mineral water. It was kind of warm, but he didn't intend to drink it.

Takeo rolled onto his back, raised the cap of the bottle and squeezed it with all his might. Water gushed out and sprayed the area above Earthguard, landing on Jishinder's broad metal shoulders. The Animated Warrior turned and laughed at this pathetic gesture, but it had not been in vain. Judging from the droplets of water hanging in midair, she aimed her sharpest kick and dug her foot into Jishinder's back.

"GRAHHHGGHHH!!!" he screamed, just in time for an arisen Earthguard to smash her Grizzly Claws into his chin. Another mighty blow tore open his midsection, and he flickered back into visibility. He stabbed at Earthguard's head with one hammer, but she blocked it with her left claw, and brought back her right.

With every ounce of her strength, Earthguard then launched an attack she'd been preparing. **"BERSERKER BARRAGE!"** She viciously slashed him across the chest, then back-handed him across the face, then slashed upward with both claws and striking him in the upper torso. Jishinder flipped head over heels and landed in his back before exploding into a dozen smoking pieces.

_Earthguard, guys, you all right?_ Fireguard thought-spoke to his comrades just then. The Guard Beasts stood gathered on the rim of the chasm where a quarter of Tokyo had once been, waiting for any sign that their friends were okay.

Finally the tension was broken. _We're okay, dude! Earthguard didn't even yell at me this time!_

Give me a second, I'll think of something.

The other Guardrangers emerged from the hole they'd ventured into before and began hauling themselves up with the Gorilla Vine cable still embedded in the lip of the pit. Earthguard and a civilian walked up from behind the assembled Guard Beasts.

_Jase! Whew…arigato, Kami-sama…_

Hey, thank **you**, dude! You're the one who brought in the cavalry!

I didn't, bro. They came all by themselves when they knew we were in trouble.

And I don't think it's over yet, Forestguard suddenly cut in. A high-pitched shriek cut the air in half and a titanic flare of blue energy lanced down from the sky, showering the site of Earthguard and Jishinder's duel with glowing particles. Within instants he was reborn, as imposing as ever, and standing over a hundred feet tall.

"I'll reduce this city to a nothing more than a child's sandbox!!!" he roared. His jackhammer arms whirred to life, then he knelt to the ground and, for about the eightieth time that day, the ground rumbled and bucked beneath the people's feet.

"Guess it's time for that again! **IMMORTAL FUSION!**"

Once more, the Guard Beasts responded, beaming their companions aboard. Hellscar raced skyward, a column of rainbow-hued light igniting around him. The great dragon's limbs folded upward and in, fire dancing along his armored body. Treebasher followed suit, glowing silver and emerald metal shifting and forming the legs. Tidalstorm and Terraclaw, blazing bright blue and yellow respectively connected as the arms; Windshear, wrapped in a corona of white light took up position at the back, forming the secondary wingspan. Hellscar's head lowered into his chest area revealing the great mecha's head and helmet. Finally, the black dome materialized over Hellscar's head on the chest, the triangular Guardranger symbol appearing in the each of the five sections the dome was segmented into. The elemental energies embraced each other and the gestalt spoke: **"WE ARE THE UNITY. WE ARE... DAICHIJIN!"**

"YATTA! Go get 'im, guys! Kick his king-sized butt!" Takeo called to Daichijin. Whether the Guardrangers heard him or not, their titanic warrior strode forward to comply.

"No time to mess around. **SHAKUNETSU HADO!"** Daichijin's strength gathered in the dome on his chest and then fired a dramatic blast of fiery energy toward Jishinder. He looked up as it screamed toward him, then yelped in surprise as it bowled him over, ceasing his seismic assault.

But Jishinder was back on his feet in an instant. His shoulder was scorched where he'd been hit, but it didn't seemed to have damaged him in the slightest and he launched himself at Daichijin with both of his jack hammer arms aimed at the titan's chest. Unprepared, the Guardrangers could raise no defense before Jishinder began to pound them ferociously with his destructive appendages.

Huge clouds of sparks burst from the points of contact and Daichijin staggered back. The Guardrangers recovered enough to command Daichijin to leap backward, out of range, and then Forestguard went to work.

**"CONGO DYNAMIC!"** Daichijin's colossal arms pumped like giant pistons as they slammed into the ground, creating shockwaves of titanic force to knock him off-balance. But he laughed them off like a shower of raindrops.

"Idiots! I was created to make earthquakes! You think I wasn't made to withstand them, too?!" He ran toward Daichijin, completely unhampered by the tremors the gestalt was causing, and lashed out with a blow from his left arm that sent Daichijin tumbling to the ground.

Takeo's face fell as Daichijin did. But the Guardrangers weren't beaten yet. "Maybe this'll cool off that hot head of yours, bud!" Waterguard growled. **"TIDAL IMMERSER!"** Daichijin rolled over and aimed his left arm--Tidalstorm--at Jishinder. A tidal wave burst from its tip, but Jishinder just laughed and dug in his feet. The wave washed over him and ice crystals the size of cars slashed against his body, but a moment later when the wave cleared, he was unmoved and unharmed.

"All that planning's starting to seem a bit silly now, eh? When nothing you can produce can hurt me in the least," Jishinder cackled. He fired up his jack hammers and moved in for the kill.

"What the heck do we do?! He's laughed off all our best shots!" Forestguard asked.

"There has to be something! He might look indestructible, but there has to be a weak spot in him someplace!" Airguard replied, though even she sounded as if fear was taking hold of her.

"I hope you're right, Miaka. After all this drama I've lived through today, dying's NOT up there on my list..." Even as the words left Earthguard's mouth, more entered her mind. But they weren't hers; they were Terraclaw's coming to the rescue as the other Rangers' beasts had when Daichijin was losing a battle.

**__**

Earthguard! Join your will to mine! I HAve just the weapon we need to end this! she exclaimed, and the command to summon it escaped Earthguard's lips of its own accord.

**"CRYSTAL BREAKER!" **she called, and Daichijin responded. Terraclaw glimmered and glowed, and then a gigantic crystalline drill bit appeared, extending several feet from her jaws. At a thought from Earthguard, Daichijin reared back his arm and then snapped it forward, the drill bit whirling at fantastic speed as it shot forward, attached to an extending metal shaft inside Terraclaw's mouth. With a satisfying CRUNCH it stabbed into Jishinder's left side, pulverizing the jack hammer mounted on his shoulder and tearing away a hefty hunk of his arm as the bit recoiled into Terraclaw's mouth.

"WHOA!!! What the hell was that?!"

"A little upgrade in service, courtesy of Terraclaw," Earthguard winked at her leader. Having bought a moment's reprieve, Daichijin climbed to his feet and then bent back to hurl the Crystal Breaker again. Jishinder, panicked that his defenses had suddenly been breached, opened his chest plate and fired a barrage of the exploding discs at Daichijin. But the Guardrangers learned fast, and the Crystal Breaker expanded like an opening umbrella in front of himself as it continued spinning, deflecting the discs to the outskirts of the city where they exploded without harm.

"I've had enough of this character…Terraclaw, let's end this!"

**_YES!_** Terraclaw affirmed. A blinding aura of prismatic light ignited through the Crystal Breaker as Daichijin shot it forward, and it punched through Jishinder's cannon and sent cracks running in all directions from the point of contact. Another stab in the torso widened them, and the last shattered him to pieces even as he cried out his disbelief.

At last, it was over.

Or, almost. With Daichijin's energy boosting her own Earthguard exerted enough influence over the ground to raise the sunken portion of Tokyo and reaffix it where it had been before. It seemed a hollow gesture, as nothing remained standing. The buildings had been reduced to piles of random debris, and the dead and injured littered the streets. It looked like a world war had run roughshod through the place.

"Kami-sama…" Forestguard whispered as they disembarked from Daichijin.

"Jesus Christ…I knew the Gargs were low, but…"

"I can't believe it…" Airguard echoed. Even Takeo looked to be at a loss for words.

"Believe it," Fire and Earthguard said at once, looked at each other in surprise for a second, but then turned back to their teammates.

"We've just seen how far the Gargs are willing to go to deal with us and get this planet, and how tough they can be. I fought this huge dragon mecha of Gammaraude's, and that monster gave us about our closest call yet. We've gotta get tougher if we're going to stand a chance against them in the future," Fireguard announced solemnly. Takeo fought back an urge to clap.

"Whatever it takes, boss," Airguard replied.

"Aw man, you mean we gotta put even more work into this?" Waterguard groaned, although Fireguard knew--or at least hoped--he didn't mean it.

"Count on me," Forestguard said simply.

Fireguard turned to Earthguard, waiting for her response. "Oh, come now, people…you were expecting me to be the one who said no? This is our duty, after all.."

"_That's _what I was expecting to hear. We'll all meet at the Earth Sanctum tomorrow afternoon. We've got a lot of preparing to do."

The Guardrangers nodded, then turned and began to go their separate ways. Waterguard stopped for a minute to talk to Takeo, while Earthguard caught Fire just as he was taking his leave.

"Why did you go off like that to save Terraclaw? You had no idea what happened to her."

"Well why shouldn't I have? Hellscar's a part of me, he means more to me than just about anything. I figured Terraclaw probably meant the same to you. Doesn't she?"

Earthguard looked up at the mighty bear, gazing affectionately down at her, and replied, "Yes, she does. Arigato.." A mixture of appreciative feelings suddenly roared up in Earthguard's mind, Fireguard for flying off to make things right on the slightest evidence that something major was wrong, and Takeo for trying to patch things up between them despite resistance at every turn. It was overwhelming.

"No big," Fireguard replied in a way that made her sure he was smiling behind his helmet, "Now go get some rest. I think you've earned it." With that, Fireguard took his leave.

Earthguard was about to do the same when Takeo jogged up and stopped her. "Wait a minute, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Like…?"

"Like maybe where you guys come from, what you think of each other…and why the heck you and Waterguard remind me of people I know so much."

She sighed, too tired, too confused about the men in her life, then reached out and lightly tapped his cheek. "Maybe another time…when I have some answers to give." Then the ground cracked open, there was a rush of air, and she was gone.

Takeo stood there for a minute, then sighed as he headed across the street to the nearby train station to catch a ride home.

_Yeah…_he smiled to himself…_definitely another time._


End file.
